


VIRAGO ▷ BUCKY BARNES [2] [Completed]

by verticulars



Series: Querencia Series [2]
Category: Justice League - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Battle, Cpatain America: Civil War, F/M, Sexual Themes, one smutty chapter and that's it.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-21 18:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13747146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verticulars/pseuds/verticulars
Summary: COMPLETEDvirago - adj. -a woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior.Starts during Civil War.B U C K Y  B A R N E S  X  D I A N A  P R I N C E.





	1. CAST + PLAYLIST

Second book in the Querencia series. 

**Querencia - n. -** a place where one feels safe, a place from which one's strength of character is drawn, a place where one feels at home.  
  


**CAST;**

**gal gadot**

_as_

**wonder woman/diana prince**

**sebastian stan**

_as_

**bucky barnes/winter soldier**

**chris evans**

_as_

**steve rogers/captain america**

**scarlett johansson**

_as_

**natasha romanoff/black widow**

**sam l. jackson**

_as_

**nick fury**

**chris hemsworth**

_as_

**thor odinson**

**elizabeth olsen**

_as_

**wanda maximoff/scarlett witch**

**mark ruffalo**

_as_

**dr. bruce banner/ hulk**

**robert downey jr**

_as_

**tony stark/iron man**

  
**tom holland**

_as_

**peter parker/spiderman**

  
**anthony mackie**

_as_

**sam wilson**

**COPYRIGHT;**

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Copyright @softlace14 Wattpad 2017.

Diana Prince belongs to DC comics while MCU belongs to Marvel.

**PLAYLIST;**

_DO NOT MISTAKE MY DESIRE TO AVOID VIOLENCE WITH THE INABILITY TO WIN|_ **i. wonder woman** tina guo|  **ii. alive** sia|  **iii. i forgive you** sia|  **iv. warriors** imagine dragons|  **v. believer** imagine dragons| **vi. centuries** fall out boy| **vii. je te pardonne** maître gims feat. sia| **viii.wonder woman soundtrack** | **ix.**   **unstoppable** sia| **x. glory and gore** lorde| **xi. everybody wants to rule the world** lorde| **xii. yellow flicker beat** lorde|  **xiii. the healer** danielle prou

_IT IS OUR SACRED DUTY TO DEFEND THE WORLD. AND IT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO._

_[I USED TO WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD. TO END WAR AND BRING PEACE TO MANKIND. BUT THEN, I GLIMPSED IN THE DARKNESS THAT LIVES IN THEIR LIGHT. AND I LEARNED THAT INSIDE EVERY ONE OF THEM,THERE WILL ALWAYS BE BOTH. A CHOICE WE MUST MAKE FOR OURSELVES. SOMETHING NO HERO WILL BE ABLE TO DEFEAT. AND NOW I KNOW, THAT ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE THE WORLD. SO I STAY, I FIGHT, AND I GIVE FOR THE WORLD I KNOW CAN BE.]_


	2. 00. AESTHETICS + PROLOGUE

_[YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU BELIEVE. YOU HAVE GREATER POWERS THAN YOU KNOW.]_

**_diana prince_ **

**_bucky barnes_ **

**_together_ **

_[I WILL FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT FIGHT FOR THEMSELVES.]_

_I AM THE MAN WHO CAN|_ **disclaimer**   
**this story is going to have mentions of death, violence and may have sexual content. people under the age of 13 should not read this book.**

_(unless they want to.)_

_YOU CAN DIE A HERO OR LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO BECOME THE VILLIAN|_ **dedication**   
**to all the marvel and WW fans!**

**HIPPOLYTA ALWAYS WANTED A CHILD.** To love, protect, and raise. No men were allowed on the island, making the wish close to impossible. Until Zeus spoke to her in her dreams. He told her to create a baby from the clay on the beach front and hold it up into the air.

**THE NEXT NIGHT SHE WALKED TO THE BEACH, ELATED AT THE FACT OF HAVING HER DREAM COME TO LIFE.** She formed a baby's head, attaching it to the clay body with arms and legs. She carved a face on the clay, her nails turning grey from the clay. She held it up to the sky, tears streaming down her pale face. "O Zeus, Father of All, please give this child life." She begged for a while, her hopes dampening. Six lightning strikes shot down from the night sky, each hitting the clay in a different place. One lightning strike, bigger than the rest, struck the clay, Hippolyta hearing a child's cry.

**SHE THANKED THE GODS, PRESSING THE CHILD CLOSER TO HER BREAST.** She walked to the sea water, wiping off any excess clay away. The child disliked the coldness, wailing as each handful of freezing water touched her smooth skin. "I'm sorry, I know," Hippolyta apologized as she wrapped her in fur. She walks to her castle, thinking of all the things she would teach the child. "What shall I name you?" She caresses the baby's face with her calloused thumb.

**"Diana. Roman equal of Artemis. You shall have the heart of a hunter, Diana."** She presses a kiss to the confused child's forehead, smiling at her lovingly. She thought of what each of the lightning strikes meant. She shrugged and continued walking.

•••

**"DIANA!" DIANA'S CARETAKER, LIA, YELLS AFTER THE RUNNING CHILD.** Diana loved to be free, Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazonians knew she was a free-spirit. They said she was destined to fly amongst the geese that flew with the moon on their wings, high enough to touch the clouds and see the gods.

**DIANA MADE IT TO THE TRAINING FIELD, SEEING AN AMAZON WARRIOR LEAN HEAVILY TO THE SIDE OF HER HORSE TO GRAB A SHIELD.** Another flipped off while shooting an arrow, piercing a straw dummy's head. She saw her aunt, Antiope, the general, talk with another warrior about the fighting skills of others. Diana saw Amazon's fighting, and she started to pretend to be one of them.

**"NAIOMI!" ANTIOPE YELLED TO A BURLY DARK WOMAN WHO WAS FIGHTING OTHERS ON TOP OF A WOODEN TABLE.** Naiomi punched a woman off the table, jumping off and rushing to Antiope. Thay start talking about the others, finally catching the eyes of a play-fighting Diana. Diana stops, giving her aunt a proud smirk as another yell of her name was heard.

**DIANA TOOK OFF, LEAVING A PROUD ANTIOPE AND SMILING NAIOMI BEHIND.** Everyone adored Diana, bidding her hello as she flew past. She leaped off the edge of a building, feeling the air through her hair, the rush in her veins. She then felt a hand clasp around her small forearm, the feeling suddenly stopping. She turns and sees her mother. "Hello, Mother. How are you today?" She giggles as Hippolyta places her on the saddle of her horse.

**"YOU KNOW I CAN START TEACHING HER SOME THINGS. SHE SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW HOW TO DEFEND HERSELF," ANTIOPE SAYS AS SHE RIDES BESIDE THEM.** "From whom?" Hippolyta asks. Antiope gives her sister an unimpressed glance and rides away, leaving Diana and Hippolyta behind.

**"MAY WE SEE THE GODKILLER?" DIANA ASKS.** "The what?" Hippolyta looks confused at her child, Diana answering back. "The GodKiller. The sword strong enough to kill a god." Hippolyta is appalled, her chest hurting at her daughter asking such a thing. "Alright," she nods, riding off to the looming tower.

**THEY MAKE IT TO THE CASTLE, THE GUARDS OPENING THE LARGE WOOD DOORS AS THE STEP INSIDE.** "This is it, Diana." The sword gleams inside a golden circular cage, standing on its point. "Only the fiercest among us can wield it. And that is not you, Diana." Diana looks determined at the sword, a smirk spreading on her lips.


	3. ACT ONE

_[IF YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE, YOU MAY NEVER RETURN.]_

_[WHO WILL I BE IF I STAY?]_

**TABLE OF** **CONTENTS**  
00\. CAST + PLAYLIST   
00\. AESTHETICS + PROLOGUE   
01\. ACCORDS  
02\. FUNERAL  
03\. PRE-BATTLE RESEARCH  
04\. UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL  
05\. "SO WAS I."  
06\. "I CAN'T TRUST MY OWN MIND."  
*07. "YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO ME."


	4. 01. ACCORDS

❛ Good doesn't always win. ❜

**DIANA AND THE OTHERS** were crowded around a long table, the Secretary of State standing in front of them."Oh. 5 years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my batting swing," Ross demonstrates him swinging his golf club, Diana rolling her eyes at the table. "Turned out, it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the army never taught me: Perspective." Diana looks at Steve, who is resting his head on his fore finger and thumb. Tony is sitting in the corner, shaking his foot. "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You've... fought for us. Protected us. Risked your lives. While a great many people see you as heroes. There are some... would prefer the word 'vigilantes.'"

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asks as she cocks her head to the side.

"How 'bout 'dangerous'. What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals, who routinely ignores sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind them. New York. Washington DC. Sokovia. Lagos." The board behind Ross changes as it showcases each and everyone of the destructions they've caused as he names them all. Diana sees Wanda placing her head in her hands, remembering her brother's death.

"Alright that is enough," Steve tells Ross as he purses his lips. "For the past 4 years, you operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution. The Sokovia accords." Ross throws a packet onto the table, giving out a small 'bang' as it hit the wood. Steve takes it and flips absentmindedly through it, his finger on his lip. "Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations Panel, only when and if that Panel deems it necessary," Ross continues.

Diana glares at the packet like it's an enemy, her nostrils flared.

"Something wrong, Diana?" Ross takes a look at Diana. Diana shakes her head, "No, Mr. Secretary." "Hmm, alright," Ross looks at Diana skeptically. Wanda takes a peek at the packet, quickly sliding it to Natasha.

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've did that," Steve says.

"Tell me captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross asks. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 mega ton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." He points to the Sokovia Accords, nodding along to his words.

"So, there are contingencies," Rhodes adds, looking at Ross for approval. Ross nods, "Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." Steve and Diana glance at Tony, who is covering his face with his hand.

"And if we come to a desicion you don't like?" Natasha asks timidly. "Then you retire," Ross walks away, his guard soon folowing after him.

"I've never retired," Diana whispers, heads turning to her. "Yes, I haven't fought before the Avengers were formed except for World War I. But I always had something to do, a job. I don't think I can go back to civilian life once more."

"Why not?" Wanda asks.

"It reminds me of things I don't want to remember. Fighting always takes my mind off of things. I only think about the fight, not everything else," Diana walks to the living room, sitting on a plush sofa. The others followed her, some sitting, others standing.

Rhodes and Sam were both arguing about the Sokovia Accords. "Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is 1 more than you have." Rhodes juts his finger towards Sam. "So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam asks Rhodes, shaking his head at the dark-skinned man. "A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it'," Rhodes retorts, throwing his hands into the air.

"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asks, shaking his head. "I have an equation," Vision speaks up.

"Oh, this should clear it up," everybody looks at Vision, waiting for what he has to say.

"In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of noted enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commissive rate," Vision says, waving his hands as he speaks.

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve sits up straighter in his chair. Diana just shakes her head. "I'm saying there maybe a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight. Oversight is not an idea that could be dismissed out-of-hand," Vision replies.

"Boom," Rhodes pumps his fist.

"Tony, you're being unsually quiet," Diana takes note of him.

"That's because he's already made up his mind," Steve says. "Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain... it's discomforting." Tony looks into the sink, obviously seeing something they can't. He sighs, walking to the island. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He places his phone inside a fruit basket, a picture of a dark-skinned smiling teenage boy projecting from it. Diana's heart aches, remembering his face. She couldn't get to him in time.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree. 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig. An Intel plan for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul. Before he park it behind the desk. See the world, maybe be of service." Tony purses his lips for a second, shrugging. "Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam. Sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.

"There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're boundless, we're no better than the bad guys," he takes the photo down, Diana's head drops as she stares at her folded hands across her lap.

"Just because someone dies on your watch doesn't mean you give up," Steve retorts.

"Who says we're giving up?" Tony asks, sitting down. "We are, the documents just shifts the blame." Steve takes a look at the Accords, which rests on the cofee table.

"Sorry. Steve, that... That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the world security council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA," Rhodes shakes his head, looking at Steve with an incredulous look.

"This is run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Diana replies, reaching for the Accords. She reads the countries who signed, her heart dropping more and more with each name. She closes her eyes and sighs, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Charlie, the building, I was close to him. Real close, not even 20 feet away. But it dropped too fast, I couldn't get to him fast enough," Diana sniffles,"it breaks my heart to see his face again. I could've saved him, but I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Diana," Wanda places a comforting hand on Diana's knee.

"It's good, when I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I stopped manufacturing them."

"Tony," Steve starts. "You chose to do that. If we sign these, we surrender our right to choose. What if this Panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if it's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own." Diana nods.

Tony rolls his eyes, shaking his head. "If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's a fact. That won't be pretty."

"So you're saying they'll come for me," Wanda says, nodding and staring at her lap.

"We will protect you," Diana and Vision chorus. Diana gives Wanda a warm, comforting side hug. "I agree with Tony," Natasha pauses, thinking. "If, we have one hand on the wheel we'll still be able to steer." Diana looks at Natasha shocked. She never agreed with Tony.

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass last year?" Sam raises his eyebrow. "I'm just... monitoring. We have made some public mistakes and we need to regain their trust."

"I'm sorry, did I mishear you, or did you just agree with me?" Tony asks Natasha, pointing at his chest. Natasha shakes her head. "I wanna take it back now." Tony shakes his head, wagging his finger side to side. "No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. I'm impress by what you did. Okay, case close. I win."

Steve receives a message on his phone, his heart stopping.  _'She's gone. In her sleep.'_ His worst fear came true, and his first love was gone. "I have to go," he leaves, Diana going to her room.

**\--**

**"DIANA, YOU REMEMBER** Peggy, right?" Steve asks the Amazonian as he rounds the corner to her room. "Yeah, why?" She asks, nodding. "She passed in her sleep. Will you like to come to the funeral with me and Sam?" He crosses his legs, tapping the tip of his boot on the linoleum floor.

"Sure," she replies. "When is it?"

"Tuesday of next week, London." He locks eyes with her. His eyes hold an expression she has had once and seen many times; the eyes of a heartbroken person.

She crosses the room and wraps her arms around Steve. "Hey, it's alright. I understand how you feel." He returns the hug with an equally tight embrace. "Do you?" She nods, thinking of Steve Trevor and Antiope. "Who was it?" Steve takes a step back, holding Diana an arm's length away.

"My aunt Antiope and..." she gulps, tears threatning to spill.

"Diana -" Steve shakes his head. "No, no it's okay. His name was Steve Trevor. He had blond hair, blue eyes, you both could be brothers. He was nice, kind. He taught me how a regular person acts, taught me what to wear, and how to be normal. He was taken from me during the first World War."

"How did he die?"

"There was a plane filled with mustard gas bombs in a German base. He needed to get it away from them, so he started to fly it away. He soon realized that they would find it, so he took out his gun and shot the bombs." Diana swallows, trying to get the growing bump in her throat out.

"I'm sorry." "It's alright. It isn't your fault," Diana replies. "You need to check up on Wanda. After everything that happened in Lagos."

Steve nods once, walking out before giving a saddened Diana a sympathetic look which she returns. "Go," she mouths to him. He turns and walks away, Diana going back to watching the news.

**\--**

**STEVE SAW THE NEWS** playing Wanda's tv, grabs her remote and turns it off. "Turn it back on, they were being really specific," Wanda pinches her bottom lip between her fingers.

"You don't need anymore of that talk anymore," Steve walks to the center of her room, "you did the best you could. You're still new to all of this, you need more training." "What training?" She shrugs, dropping her hand. "I'm going against the Accords, so...so there's no reason for me to train anymore. I'm just going to be as normal as I  _can_ be. It's all my fault."

"It's not only your fault. He mentioned Bucky, and," he sighs, "and I couldn't see the bomb strapped to him. I became blind."

"This Bucky, who is he?" Wanda asks.

"He's my best friend, but HYDRA got to him and brainwashed him. They replaced his whole left arm with a metal one, made him into something he isn't. They made him kill others against his will." Steve rubs a hand on the back of his neck, taking a deep breath.

"And I used to work for HYDRA. And I thought they were the good guys. I'm sorry," Wanda apologizes, looking at Steve with sorrow.

"Tony isn't going to let this go. He wants everybody on board with the Accords," Steve rolls his eyes.

"What sid Diana say?" Wanda asks. "Hmm?" Steve hums, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "About the Accords. What did she say?" Wanda clarified. "She didn't say anything about it. I think she's either trying to decide on it or trying to avoid it." Steve says. "I gotta go. Have to pack for a flight."

Wanda nods, reading his mind on the matter. She didn't need it to be clarified as he did. "Alright."


	5. 02. FUNERAL

❛ Is it just a game? I don't know. ❜

**DIANA SAT BESIDE STEVE,** her hair in a twist at the back of her head, wearing a black overcoat, dress, and heels, She wore a solemn expression, her hand in Steve's as reassurance. "It'll be alright," she whispers to him as the ceremony starts. Steve was one of the six men that carried the casket to the stage, fighting back unwanted tears.

"Thank you for being here. You didn't have to," Steve says, his chin wobbling as the urge to cry became too strong, taking a deep breath as Peggy's niece made her way to the podium.

"Don't worry, if one of your friends needed help, would you be there?" Diana asks.

"In a heartbeat," Steve answers, Sharon clears her throat before starting her speech.

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD. But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy," Sharon starts, blue eyes sweeping the room. "She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But, it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage at a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either.

"And she said, compromise when you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty, to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, 'No... you move,'" Sharon catches the blue eyes of Steve, quickly averting her eyes somewhere else.

**\--**

**THE CEREMONY ENDS,** everyone shuffling out of the pews at an agonizingly slow pace. "When I came out of the ice, I thought that I had to ignore it. When I found out she was alive, I was just...just lucky to have her," Steve tells Diana. He leans on one of the pews, head bowed.

"She was lucky to see you again, Steve. She thought you were dead, but you were alive," Diana placed a soothing hand on his arm, "you made her last wish come true when you came to see her."

"Who else signed it?" Steve asks as Natasha walks up to them.

"Rhodes, Vision, Tony."

"Clint?" Steve plays with the cuffs of his shirt. "Says he's retired," Diana replies. "Wanda?" "TBD. I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There is plenty of room on the jet. Just because it's the path of least resistance does mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together," Natasha says.

"I'm sorry Nat. I can't sign it," Steve shakes his head.

"I know," Natasha answers. "What are you doing here?" Steve asks. "I didn't want you to be alone," Natasha replies. She sees Steve's slumped posture, "c'mere." She pulls Steve into a hug, patting his back softly.

**\--**

**"MY MOM TRIED TO** talk me out of enlisting, but not Aunt Peggy. She bought me my first knife holster," Sharon tells the two super soldiers as they walk to the elevator.

"Very practical," Steve presses the button on the wall. The elevator dings as it opens. "And stylish," they get into the cramped space, Diana folding her hands on her lap. She barely talked, only talking when it was needed and if a question was directed towards her.

"CIA stationed you over here now?" Steve asks.

"In Berlin, joint terrorist and task force," she answers, glancing at Diana from the corner of her eyes. She trusted Diana, but she was confused as to which side she would pick.

"Sounds fun," Steve sarcastically replies, smiling a bit. "I know, right?" Sharon scoffs, licking her chapped lips. "Listen, I've been meaning to ask you when you were staring at me from across the hall -"

"You mean when I was doing my job?" Sharon interrupts, looking at Steve.

"Did Peggy know?"

"Peggy kept so many secrets," they walk out into the cafe area, the walls made of glass, "I didn't want her to remember you. Thanks for walking me back." Diana and Steve catching sight of Sam sitting on a four-legged stool at the main counter, TVs in front of him.

"Men made a world where standing together is impossible," Diana shakes her head.

"Steve, Diana, you might want to see this," he points to the screens, Steve and Diana jogging over to him.

_"A bomb hidden in a news van blast through the UN building in Vienna_." The woman on the screen says as a picture of the suspect comes up.

_"Who's coordinating? More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead. Including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations,"_ the reporter says, fixing the papers on her desk.

"I have to go to work." Sharon leaves, Diana setting her jaw as she stares at the little screen.

**\--**

**"I'M VERY SORRY,"** Natasha sits on the creaky wooden bench next to T'Challa.  ****"In my culture, death is not the end. It's more of a... stepping off point. You reach out with both hands and bask in segment. They lead you into the green valley where you can run forever," T'Challa says slowly, thinking.

"That sounds very peaceful," Natasha gulps thickly.

"My father thought so. I am not my father," T'Challa says his words carefully, fiddling with the ring on his finger, shaking his head. "T'Challa," Natasha sighs. "Task force will decide who brings in Barnes." "Don't worry, Miss Romanoff," T'Challa glimpses at Natasha in the corner of his eye. "I'll kill him myself."

"Really?" Natasha asks.

**\--**

**NATASHA'S PHONE** **RANG,** immediately answering it. "You alright?" Steve's deep tones were heard. "Ah, yeah, thanks. I got lucky. I know how much Barnes means to you. I really do. Stay at home. You'll only make this worse for all of us. Please," Natasha looks around, seeing if Steve was anywhere to be found.

"Are you saying you'll arrest me?"

"No. Someone will if you interfere. That's how it works now," Natasha answers, seeing Steve's hidden face. "If he's this far gone, then... I should be the one to bring him in," Steve clenches his jaw, looking at Natasha through the blue-tinted sunglasses.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one least to die trying," Steve retorts, he presses the decline button, walking away.

Natasha realizes what he's going to do, letting out a small 'shit'.


	6. 03. PRE-BATTLE RESEARCH

_[AND THE PEOPLE BOWED AND PRAYED, TO THE NEON GOD THEY MADE.]_

 

**"DID SHE TELL YOU TO STAY OUT OF IT?" SAM ASKS STEVE.** They were sitting at the coffee shop in the hotel, Diana nowhere to be seen. "Might have a point." "He'd do it for me," the waitress places a coffee mug in front of Steve, who silently thanks her.

"1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we considered all our options. The people that shoot at you, usually wind up shooting at me," Sam says.

Sharon walks in quietly beside Steve, staring straight ahead of her, a blank expression and sunglasses on. "Tips have been pouring in since the footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it is noise, except for this. My boss expects a briefing and he pretty much knows, so... that's all the answer you're going to get."

She slides a manilla folder to Steve. He looks at it, "thank you."

"And you're going to have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight." She turns around and exits the building, Steve flipping through the folder.

• • •

**DIANA WAS GOING TO CATCH THE EARLIEST FLIGHT BACK TO NEW YORK; BACK TO THE AVENGERS COMPOUND.** She longed for the familiar dull, grey walls that surrounded her, the debates on who was the better Avenger, the best fighter. They argued about these things, but they always came to the same conclusion--Diana. She has the most experience, the most training, the most years of being on this Earth.  _She_ has fought and killed a god; they haven't, not even Thor.

She paced through the white room, collecting her things as she collected her thoughts.  _Bucky? Is Bucky being the one to blow up the United Nations in Vienna? Unlikely._

She closes her black suitcase and sits on the bed. She had taken off her funeral attire a while ago; she sat in her comfortable sweatpants and shirt, fuzzy socks placed on her feet.

The TV was blank. The room was filled with the sounds of soft 40's music--the music you would hear in a ball, slowly dancing along with your partner as you danced in a circle, them whispering softly in your ear the lyrics.

Diana muttered the words to the song. Her dark, chocolatey brown eyes swimming with tears as she thought of her and Steve Trevor slow-dancing to this song. Diana in a white dress, Steve in a suit, family, and friends surrounding them as they danced in their wedding. Diana's belly swollen many months later as they prepared to bring life into the world. The child, 5 years old, being taught how to fight by Diana and how to dance by Steve. The child's name shall be Antiope, given to her after her grandaunt. Antiope, now ten, running off with friends. Diana and Steve with slight wrinkles as they waved to the small child. She thought of how their life could've been--the life of a civilian.

She hurriedly wipes the tears away with the backs of her hands.  _You shall either fight with spears or tears. You choose._ She heard Antiope's words of wisdom ring through her head, squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high. Diana was only young then, the young age of 6, when Diana was first taught to fight and got hit for the first time.

Diana memorized those words, using them whenever she felt like crying. She had Antiope's harsh voice memorized. She remembered Antiope's look of disapproval. She remembered the way her cheek and heart ached, different kinds of pain. The heart always hurts worse than a physical pain.

Diana looks at the clock on the mantle of the TV.  _5:00._ Her flight left in an hour.

• • •

**DIANA LANDED AT JFK AIRPORT AT TWO IN THE MORNING, HER EYES DROOPING AS SHE FLAGGED A CAB**. The gentleman helped her with her bags, holding the door open as she climbed in. He saw she was tired, never spoke through the ride. Diana had given him the address, leaning her head on the window.

He drove silently, playing soft music on the speakers. Diana fell asleep to the soft rocking of the car.

• • •

**"MA'AM?" HE SHOOK DIANA GENTLY AS HE LOOKED ONTO HER PEACEFUL FACE.** This was the only time Diana was at peace.

Diana woke up gradually, "huh?"

"We're here, ma'am," the driver, whose name was Josh, tells her. "Thank you," Diana hands him the money required, stretching her limbs, climbing out. She grabbed her bags and rolled them into the compound, using the elevator to go to her room. Her foot pats. Her leg jiggles. She is impatient, wanting to go into her room, brush her teeth and wash her face, and sink into the welcoming warmth of her bed.

• • •

**DIANA WAKES UP TO LIGHT STREAMING IN THROUGH THE CURTAINED WINDOWS, THE SAPPHIRE BLUE OF THE FABRIC TURNING THE WALL A SHADE OF BLUE-GREY.** Diana's hair was still in its braid, the soft tendrils of small hair framing her sun-kissed face. "A pinch of paprika," Vision's voice pours in from the kitchen, "a pinch." A smell wafts in through the open door; something of soup and spices. "Is that paprikash?" Wanda says as she enters the room, Diana soon following close behind.

"I thought it might..." Vision searches for the right words. "Lift your spirits."

Wanda takes a sip of the red stew. She hums, closing her eyes. "Spirits lifted." She nods. Diana sits in one of the chairs on the island, her hands clasped in front of her. "In my defense, I haven't actually... eaten anything before, so..." Vision raises a hand with his fingertips pressed together to his mouth.

"Aye, aye, please," Wanda stirs the contents of the pot.

"Wanda?" Vision asks.

She hums in response, the only response Vision needs in order to start. "Nobody dislikes you." "Thanks," Wanda scoffs. "Oh, you're welcome. No. It's a... involuntary response in their amygdala they can't help but be afraid of you," Vision explains. Diana watches the scene unfold, standing as she prepares if a fight breaks out. "Are you?" Wanda raises an eyebrow as she goes back to the paprikash.

"My amygdala is synthetic, so..." Vision speaks.

"I used to think of myself one way. But, after this," Wanda plays with her powers as it weaves between her fingers, "I am something else. And still me, I think. But... that's not what everyone else sees."

"Do you know, I don't know what this is?" Vision points to the infinity stone placed on his head. "Not really. I know it's not of this world. But it powered Loki's staff, gave you your abilities. But... its true nature is a mystery. And yet, it is part of me." "Are you afraid of it?" They speak as if Diana wasn't there, who slinks back into her seat. "I wish to understand it," Vision says, "the more I understand it, the more I control it, and the less it controls me."

"I don't know what's in this but it is not paprika," Wanda shakes her head, pointing to the pot. "I'm gonna go to the store, I'll be back in 20 minutes."

"Alternatively we could order a pizza?" Vision appears in front of Wanda, holding his arm out to stop her.

"Vision, are you not letting me leave?"

"It is a question of safety," Vision answers, a slight quiver in his voice. "I can protect myself," Wanda moves to go out. "Not yours. Mr. Stark would like to avoid the possibility of another public incident. Until the Accords are a... more secured foundation," Vision replies.

"Let her go, Vision," Diana moves over to the left of Vision, giving him her best glare. "Mr. Stark will like you to stay here, too." Vision spreads his arm out towards Diana.

"Let  _us_  go, Vision," Diana warns.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Not until the Accords are over." Diana draws in a deep breath, setting her jaw, and walking out of Vision's way to her room.

• • •

**IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS, THREE BORING DAYS SINCE VISION HAS KEPT THEM ON LOCKDOWN THERE.** Diana absentmindedly played with the strands of her hair as she watched a movie in the living room, plotting an escape; But she couldn't as Vision had set  _FRIDAY_  to inform him every time she has tried to make a run for it. There was a loud crash outside in the moonlight, startling Diana from her stupor. She, Vision, and Wanda walked to the window, seeing a large fire roaring outside.

"What is it?" Wanda asks as the firelight illuminated their faces. Diana immediately thought of one person:  _Clint._ Perhaps Vision thought the same as he just replied, "Wait here."

He disappears through the wall, flying to the crash site.

"Guess I should have knocked?" Clint's voice is heard from them. Wanda uses her telekinesis to make a knife fly towards his head, stopping it when she gets a good look. Clint simply moves it to the side. "What are you doing here?" Diana asks, walking towards him. He walks to where Wanda stands, shooting arrows onto the wall and island. "Disappointing my kids. I'm supposed to go water skiing. Cap needs our help, come on."

"Clint!" Vision reappears. "You should not be here."

"Really? I retired for, what, like 5 minutes? And it all goes to shit," Clint retorts. "You should really consider the consequences of your actions." Vision floats closer, and Diana notices the tips of the arrows are spread open in three prongs.

"Okay, they're considered," Vision walks into the line of the arrows, electrical shocks freezing Vision in place. "We gotta go." Diana and Clint start to run, but Wanda stays in place. "I've caused enough problems," she plays with the hem of her sweater.

Diana notes how she seems as if she's crumbling into herself, weak. Clint rushes back to her. "You got to help me, Wanda. You can go to high school. You want to make amends. You get off your ass."

Vision uses the infinity stone to blast the arrow, going up to Clint, who grabs a baton from his back. He swings it at Vision, who simply makes himself air. He swings again, this time Vision is solid. The baton breaks and Clint repeatedly punches Vision. Vision throws Clint down.

"Shit. I know I should have stretched," Clint grunts as he gets up.

"You cannot overpower me, Clint."

"I can't but she can," Clint nods to Wanda. Vision turns, sees Wanda playing with her powers as the red glow grows into a ball. "Vision. That's enough, let him go. I'm leaving." "I can't let you," he shakes his head.

"I'm sorry," she spreads her hands, the ball growing larger. Vision slowly drops to his knees, "If you leave, they won't stop being afraid of you."

"I can't control their fear, only my own."

She forces the ball to him, pushing him through layers upon layers of ground and dirt. She stops when she thinks it's good enough.

"Oh," Clint breathes. "Come on, we have another stop."

They all run out, the pounding of feet carrying along with them. Diana and Wanda packed their gear, rushing to get to the car.

• • •

**THEY ARRIVE IN GERMANY THE NEXT DAY, TUGGING ALONG ANOTHER PASSENGER WITH THEM.** Clint had Diana punch him until he passed out, placing him in the backseat of the van. They were currently waiting in the van in an airport parking garage, patiently waiting for Steve, Sam and said "Bucky". Diana played with her bottom lip, Scott's dark head on her lap, asleep. Diana looks out the window, spotting a small 50's blue buggy park next to them. She saw Steve through the window; she snickers as she shakes her head.

"Cap." Clint shakes Steve's hand, smiling at Bucky and Sam.

"You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice," Steve took note of Diana in the car, giving her a small wave in which she returns.

"Hey man, you're doing me a favor. Besides... I'm on your team. Thanks for having my back," Clint claps Steve on the shoulder. Steve looks at Wanda. "It was time to get off my ass," she shrugged.

"About our other recruit?" Steve asks.

"He's ready to go. I have to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good," when Clint opens the door with a loud bang, Scott jerks awake. He stumbles out of the van, giving Diana a small 'sorry'.

"What time zone is this?" He furrows his eyebrows.

"Come on. Come on," Clint waves his hand in a 'hurry up' manner.

"Captain America," Scott's eyes widen at Steve's presence, like a kid in a candy store.

"Mr. Lang," Steve holds his hand out for Scott, who shakes it while ranting.

"It's an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow. This is awesome. Captain America," Scott removes his hand from Steve's, turning to see Wanda. "I know you too, you're great. Jeez. Look, I wanted to say. I know you know a lot of super people, so... Thanks for thinking of me. Hey, man."

He slightly salutes to Sam, Diana climbing out of the car. "What's up tic-tac?"

Diana walks up to Sam, gives him a hug, who returns it. "How are you guys?" "You left us," Sam says it like he's accusing her, but he smiles at the end. "No, no we're good. We're good." He grabs his fist with one hand, lighthearted.

"Good to see you. Look. What happened last time was a--"

"It was a good audition, but it'll never happen again," Sam interrupts. He shakes his head, pursing his lips slightly. "Alright." Scott nods.

"What did he tell about what we're up against?" Steve asks Scott.

"That we're going up against psycho-assassins?" It comes out more of a question than an answer, unsure.

"We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man," Steve warns Scott. Scott just shrugs. "What else is new?" Diana walks over to Bucky, extending her hand. "Diana. Diana Prince," her exotic accent was one he never heard before and mixed with her kindness, it took him back. "Bucky. Bucky Barnes." He shakes her hand with his flesh one, not wanting to break her.

The PA system comes on, German words pouring out. Diana recognizes what they're saying. "We have to go," she informs them. "We have a chopper lining up," Steve says. "They're evacuating the airport," Bucky replies, staring at Diana.

She holds herself gracefully, but also tensely, as if ready for a fight; her dark eyes narrowed slightly and looking around for any sign of attack; her sun-kissed skin glimmering in the sunlight; her dark hair pulled into a simple twist at the nape of her neck; her pink-full lips pursed; her jaw tensed. She looked ready to fight.

She looked ready to  ** _attack_** _._


	7. 04. UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL

_[I'LL PUT MY ARMOR ON, SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I AM.]_

• • •

**STEVE LOOKED AT DIANA FOR CONFIRMATION, HE WANTED TO SEE WHAT SHE WOULD DO**. She took the pin out of her hair, shook it loose, and placed her tiara upon her head. "Let's give them hell." She took off her cloak, placing her shield and sword onto her back. She walked defiantly away from them, Bucky looking at her like she was a goddess; in which in a way, she was. "Alright guys, you heard her, suit up."

• • •

**STEVE AND DIANA WALKED UP TO TONY AND RHODES, HER METAL ARMOR HUGGING HER BODY TIGHTLY.**  It fit like a glove like it was made for her. "Tony," Steve says. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you just feel weird?" Tony asks, tilting his head towards Rhodes.

"Definitely weird," Rhodes nods.

"Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this," Steve shakes his head. T'Challa flips in front of them, landing on his feet, crouched, hands planted firmly on the ground. He stands up slowly, "Captain, Your Highness."

"Your Highness," they answer, tilting their heads in respect. "Anyway. Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Tony asks his helmet off his head. "You're after the wrong guy," Steve steps closer to Tony. "Your judgment is askew. Your war buddy killed innocent people yesterday," Tony retorts. "And there are 5 more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't," Diana shakes her head, voice quivering at the end.

"Steve. You know what's about to happen. Do you really want to punch your way out of this one? " Natasha walks up behind Tony.

"Alright, I've run out of patience. Underoos!" Tony cups his hand around his mouth to project his voice. A web catches onto Steve's shield and Diana's weapons, a boy in a red and blue skin-tight suit landing on a truck, Steve's shield in hand. Diana's and Steve's hands are held together by webs. "Nice job, kid," Tony says. The kid's head peaks up at Diana and Steve, Diana's face showing confusion. "Thanks. Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's... just the new suit... Well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's-It's perfect, thank you," a kid's voice, the voice of a teenager, speaks out from the mask, the white cat-eyes narrowing. Diana's eyes widen, this was just a kid. Why would Tony bring a kid into this? While he is trying to get the government to take control over the Avengers and he brings a kid into this? This man is all kinds of messed up.

"Why would you bring a kid into this? Leave him alone, he could be at home doing homework!" Diana yells.

"She kind of has a point, Mr. Stark," the boy says. Tony gives the kid a look. "S-sorry," he quickly adds.

"Cap... Captain. Big fan, I'm Spider-Man," Spider-Man says as he points at his chest.

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later, so..." Tony waves the boy away. "Hey everyone," Spider-Man waves to them. "Good job," Tony finishes. "You've been busy," Steve says, cocking his head. "And you've been a complete idiot. Dragging in Clint. Rescuing Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave. A safe place. I'm trying to keep... I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart," Tony places a quivering hand on his chin at the end, placing the other on his hip. "You did that when you signed," Diana replies.

Tony rolls his eyes and sighs, "Alright, I'm done. You're gonna turn Barnes over and you're gonna come with us. NOW! Because it's us! We're squaded JSOC, guys, with no compunction about being impolite."

Diana switches her weight onto her right leg, crossing her arms and looking at Steve. "We found it. The quinjet's in hanger five, north runway," Sam's voice comes from the earphones they wore, Sam inside a terminal with Bucky, his fingers on the side of his red goggles.

Steve holds his hands up, an arrow piercing the web while Diana easily rips her apart. Tony's helmet immediately moves to cover his head, turning his head to look at the terminal the arrow came from. "Alright, Lang."

"Hey guys, something's-" Spider-Man says. Scott grows to his full size and flips off Steve's shield, swiftly kicking Spider-Man in his chin, and grabs Diana's shield and sword, landing in front of them with the weapons. "Whoa. What-What the hell was that?" Rhodes stutters, surprised. "I believe these are yours, Captain America and Princess," he hands it over to them. "Oh, great. Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them is Maximoff, I'm going to grab her. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?"Tony asks them. "Got two in the terminal, Wilson, and Barnes," Tony flies off to where Wanda and Clint are, Rhodes hovering above Diana and Steve. "Barnes is mine!" T'Challa runs off to the terminal. Steve throws his shield into Rhodes' suit, making it bounce off and coming back to Steve's hand. He latched it back onto his arm, standing in an easy position. T'Challa stood in front of Steve. "Move Captain. I won't ask a second time." "What am I supposed to do, Mr. Stark?" Spider-Man asks, holding his finger to his ear. "What we discussed, web them up."

"Look, I don't want to hurt you," Scott says as Natasha walks up to him. "I wouldn't stress about it," she replies before kicking him, going after his arm, but he shrinks down to the size of an ant, flipping Natasha over his shoulder and twisting her arm around her back, Natasha grunting. She makes a fist and electrocutes Scott, him screaming at the feeling.

Steve is over with T'Challa, holding him back from getting to Barnes. T'Challa flips into the air and kicks Steve's shield three times, landing on his feet with the ability of a cat, just like his suit.

Diana jumps up into the air, holding her shield with a bent arm at her back, making her way to Rhodes. She has a determined look on her face, quickly shifting so her shield moves in front of her a second before knocking into Rhodes, the impact throwing him back ten feet. He regains his balance, gasping for breath. The impact knocked the breath out of him, even powerful than the suit. Diana was going to be a tough one to defeat and he got stuck with her. Bucky and Wilson are running through the airport, Spider-Man jumping onto the window panes and crawling on them. "What the hell was that?" Bucky asks, hair flying behind him. "Everyone's got a gimmick now," Sam answers, running along beside him.

Spider-Man crashes through the window, landing his feet on Sam, who crashes into a stand. Bucky punches, but Spider-Man stops his arm. Bucky has a confused expression on his face.

"You have a metal arm? That's awesome dude!" Spider-Man marveled, eyes scanning it. Bucky' eyes widen. This was just a kid!

Sam spreads his wings and picks Spider-Man up. Spider-Man kicks and scratches. "You have the right to remain silent!" Sam drops the kid, Spider-Man shooting a web to a wing and swinging behind Sam.

Outside, Tony shoots a couple is minutiae missiles, targeting a few vehicles beside a running Wanda and Clint. T'Challa was still fighting Steve, Diana and Rhodes punching and kicking, Rhodes' nose and eyebrow bleeding. Even with the metal, Diana still didn't bleed. She was a tough nut to crack. T'Challa scratches at Steve, who blocks with his shield, the paint coming off with the claws.

"Alright, princess, this won't kill you but it won't tickles either," Rhodes declared, grabbing a wand from his suit. It had holes in it that glowed orange, Diana squaring her shoulders. He swings, hitting Diana's gauntlet, the energy making her gauntlet glow. All she had to do was gather enough energy to create a lightning blast with her gauntlets, the same blast she created with the lightning back in World War I, just a bit less powerful. Just enough to slow him down. He keeps swinging, the energy keeps collecting on her gauntlets. When Diana thinks it was enough, she floats up, her eyes closed, and slams her forearms together. A blast of white light comes from it, the blast hitting Rhodes on the chest. He slams down onto the pavement, the energy too much for his body. Diana pulls her arms apart, stopping the blast. She comes down to the earth, landing on her knee, kneeling. "Wow," Bucky sighs as he sees what happened. "Yeah, come on," Sam interrupts.

"Wanda, I think you hurt Vision's feelings," Tony holds out a metal-encased hand, the palm glowing with energy.

"You locked me in my room," Wanda replies.

"Okay. First, that's an exaggeration. Second, I did it to protect you," Tony retorts. "Hey, Clint." "Hey, man," Clint echoed, nodding once to Tony. "Clearly retirement doesn't suit you, get tired of shooting golf?" Tony queried, cocking his head to the right. "Well, I played 18, I shot 18. Just can't seem to miss," Clint shrugs and shoots an arrow, which Tony moves out of the way and explodes with his hand. "There's a first time for everything." He turns back to Clint. "Made you look," Clint smirks. Wanda uses her telekinesis to move cars so they drop, Tony weaving out of the way of some of them, but there are too many. A couple land on top of him.

"Multiple contusions detected," FRIDAY says.

"Yeah, I detected that too," Tony grunts.

• • •

**SAM FLIPS ONTO HIS BACK** in midair, shooting at a swinging Spider-Man. Spider-Man moves out of the way, a beam falling from its supports. Peter lands on a beam, a disk flying over his head. "Oh God," he breathes out; he is tired, the weight of the feeling settling in his bones. He hasn't been this tired since he got his powers, these men wore him out.

Bucky hides behind a support beam, looking at his left side. "Hey buddy, I think you lost this!" Peter calls out, Bucky peeks out his head; the disk hits the beam he was hiding behind.

Sam kicks Peter with both feet, Peter shooting out a web and catching onto the ceiling, swing out of underneath Sam's feet. He shoots another web; hitting Sam's wing. Sam grunts, crashing into a merchandise cart's roof. Peter shoots two more webs, latching Sam's hands onto a railing. "Are those wings carbon fiber?" He asks, crouching on the side of an advertisement beam. "Is this stuff coming out of you?" Sam gasps.

"That would explain the rigidity flexibility ratio which, gotta say, that's awesome man," Peter nods.

"I don't know if you have been in a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking," Sam lectured him. "Alright, sorry, my bad," Peter swings towards Sam, but Bucky jumps in front of him. He kicks them both, crashing them into the floor below. Bucky and Sam grunt as their body collide with the hard linoleum, the impact hitting them hard. Peter locks Bucky's metal hand onto the floor. "Alright, guys, I'd like to keep this up but I only got one job here to do and I'd like to impress Mr. Stark, so, I'm really sorry," Sam uses his fingers to guide RedWing into the building, just as Peter holds his arm out, the robot grabs onto Peter's wrist as flies him out into the outside, Peter's body hitting a pole that held a pane up. It drops him, Peter screaming.

"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Bucky retorts.

"I hate you," Sam replies, looking over at the ceiling. "Hey," Diana runs up to them. They lift their heads, "how'd you know we need help?" "If you're going up against a guy who shoots webs, don't you think they'd get into a sticky situation?" Diana chuckles as she cuts the white stuff with the top of her sword. "Did you just make a pun?" Sam looks at her as they start running. "Maybe," Diana answers. "Wow," Sam shakes his head as they turn left to the stairs.

• • •

**RHODES FLIES UP TO STEVE** , who swiftly kicks him down. T'Challa runs up, Steve kicking him down too. "Great," Rhodes throws down the broken electrocution device.

"Cap, head's up!" Scott yells as he runs up to Steve. He hands Steve a small truck, "throw this at this." He shows him a small circular blue object, throwing it into the direction of Tony and Rhodes. Steve immediately throws the truck, hitting the circle. It grows to its original size, exploding as it hit the ground. "Oh c'mon!" Rhodes yells as they all get thrown back.

"Oh man, I thought it was a water truck," Scott groans. Steve gives him a look of disbelief. "Uh, sorry."

They run out, Tony landing next to a laying Natasha. She turns to look at him, Rhodes looking at the running Cap and tic-tac. "Alright now I'm pissed," he says. Tony helps Natasha up from the ground, "is this part of the plan?"

"Well, my plan was to go easy on 'em, you want to switch it up?" Tony retorts.

Wanda and Clint run behind some boxes, Clint pointing at the quinjet, "there's our ride." Steve and Scott run up in front of them, "come on!" Bucky, Sam, and Diana run up beside them, their footsteps matching as they make their way to the hangar. A yellow glow hits the ground, making a line as it cuts into the pavement. Vision is floating above them, his infinity stone shooting the glow. They stop, Tony and the others walking up behind Vision. "Captain Rogers," he calls out. "I know you believe what you're doing is right. But, for the collective good, you must surrender now." Rhodes drops T'Challa, who lands perfectly and Rhodes lands a bit harshly.

"What do we do, Cap?" Sam asks. Peter lands in front of them, arm outstretched as he stands up. Vision slowly floats down.

"We fight," Steve starts walking, the others following him.

"This is gonna end well," Natasha sarcastically says as they walk towards Steve and his team, Clint holding his bow ready as their pace speeds up. "They're not stopping," Peter says as he speeds up along with his team. "Neither are we," Tony answers, starting his boosters along with Rhodes. Wanda uses her powers to lift off from the ground, Vision face to face with her. Sam lifts off, Diana giving herself a bit of a boost by making herself float. She was going to go head to head with Peter, the kid, and she was going to regret it. "I'm sorry," she whispers as they collide, Diana punching him squarely in the jaw.

Steve was with Tony; Wanda was with Vision; Natasha was with Clint; Bucky with T'Challa; and Scott was helping others by shrinking and doing whatever he can.

They all were punching, kicking, grunting, groaning, and using their powers; and Diana swore she could hear the sounds of men dying. She was afraid, but she swallowed her fear and kept fighting. She thought that Steve Trevor was somewhere, flying a plane full of timed mustard gas bombs, shooting it to save today. "I love you," she could hear his voice. She closed her eyes, resulting her in getting kicked in the stomach.

"Ugh," she groaned as she swept her hair over her shoulder.

"Harder. You're stronger than this, Diana," she heard her aunt's encouraging words replay in her head. "Again."

"Ah!" She screamed, grabbing her lasso and swinging it, winding it around Peter's feet. She tugged with her strength, sending him to the ground. She did this to the others, Tony crashing into a truck, Natasha into the ground, T'Challa through a terminal, and it just faced through Vision.

Steve nods at her in approval, silently thanking her. "No problem," she mouths to him. But they came back. They all went to their respective enemies, going back into fighting. At least she brought them a few seconds to breathe.

Peter tries to come back to Diana, but Wanda moves cars to block him, which he jumps over each one. Clint flips Natasha to the ground, holding her with his bow. "We're still friends right?" She asks. "Just depends on how hard you hit me," he answers.

She wraps her legs around his neck, flipping him over so she can kick him. A red band wraps around her ankle; she looks at Wanda, who throws her into a truck. Natasha groans and gets up, feeling like her spine broke. "You were pulling your punches," Wanda says as she and Clint run. Bucky wraps his metal hand around T'Challa's neck, T'Challa kicking his stomach. "I didn't kill your father."

"Then why did you run?" T'Challa quizzes, Bucky going to punch him, but he simply flips them over, twisting Bucky's human arm, hearing the bones crack. He jumps up and turns, kicking Bucky in the face. Bucky flies into a box cart, landing on the ground with an 'oomph!' As T'Challa goes to scratch Bucky's face, Wanda shows up and uses her powers to throw him into another terminal. Diana was fighting Vision; she was the only one strong enough to hurt him. Peter swung from a terminal, Steve throws his shield, cutting the web. Peter falls onto a catwalk, quickly flipping onto his feet, crouched. The shield returns to Steve.

"That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all," Peter says.

"Look, kid, there's a lot going on here you don't understand," Steve shakes his blonde head. "Stark said you'll say that, wow," Peter takes a deep breath. He shoots onto Steve's shield, shooting another one for his right ankle, pulling Steve onto the ground. He lets go of those and shoots two more for Steve's arms, pulling Steve into an upright position and kicking him, sending him into the grill of a truck. "He also said to go for your legs," he chuckles. Steve runs towards his shield, but webs hold his arms back. Steve flips, tugging on the webs, Peter landing under a terminal. "Did Stark tell you anything else?" Steve asks. "That you're wrong, and you think you're right, and that's what makes you dangerous." "He's not wrong." Steve throws his shield at a support beam that's attached to a wheel, breaking it. It falls onto Peter, who holds it up, grunting from the weight. "You have heart, kid," Steve notes. "Where're you from?"

"Queens," Peter groans.

"Brooklyn," Steve nods. Tony and Sam are fighting in the air, Sam dodging any missiles Tony sends his way. "Clint, can you get him off me?"

"You grappled in, little guy?" Clint takes aim at Tony's flying figure, Scott holding onto the arrowhead. "Yeah, yeah arrow guy, let's go!" Scott yells. Clint's legs go of the arrow-string, Scott screaming in excitement as he flies through the air. Pieces come off the head, Tony shooting at the pieces. Scott lets go, going into Tony's suit, ripping at the cables. "Oh yeah, you're going to have to take this into the shop," Scott rips more cables from their posts. "Who said that?" Tony asks. "Uh, your consciousness. We haven't talked in a while," Scott lies.

"We have some weapons systems offline," FRIDAY says, alarming Tony.

"FRIDAY?" Tony asks. "Deploying fire suppression system," the suit fills with a white gas. "Oh oh." Scott runs as fast as he can, jumping over torn cables, "oh boy."

"We gotta go," Bucky and Steve hide behind beams. "That guy's possibly in Siberia by now."

"I'll draw all the fliers, I take Vision. You get to the quinjet." "No need Steve, I got Vision." Diana's accented voice comes in from their earpieces. "No, you get to the jet! All three of you! The rest of us aren't getting out of here!" Sam replies. "As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it," Clint shoots an arrow at Tony, who shoots it.

"This isn't the real fight Steve," Diana grunts as she gets punched. She feels something trickling down her nose and down her chin. She took a hand and wiped it; it was blood. She never bled before, yet here she was bleeding. "What's the plan?" Steve looks at Bucky, who looks back at him. "We need a diversion. Something big," Diana notified, sweep-kicking Vision. "I got something kind of big, but I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don't come back for me," Scott runs down a catwalk, explaining. "He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky questions Steve. Steve shrugs at his best friend; he didn't know what Scott was talking about. "You sure about this, guy?"

"I do it all the time. I mean once... in a lab. And I passed out," Scott answers, closing his eyes and whispering, "you're the boss." He presses the button on the hand on his suit, growing to be at least 20 feet tall.

"Oh," his eyes widen. "Holy shit!" Peter presses the base of his palms against his temples.

"Okay, tiny dude is big now," Rhodes coughed. "Tiny dude is big now." "I guess that's the signal," Steve breathed. Scott grabs Rhodes' feet as he flies by, stopping him. "Way to go, Tic-Tac!" Sam praised. "C'mon!" Diana runs past Bucky and Steve, who follow her close behind. "Give me back my Rhodey," Tony warned, Sam kicks Tony in the chest.

"I got him!" Peter swings around Scott; grabbing hold of Rhodes with his web, stopping him before he crashes into a plane. Scott kicks a bus towards T'Challa, Vision landing in front of him and using his body to break the bus. Scott breaks a wing off an airplane, T'Challa seeing Bucky, Steve, and Diana running off to the hangar, following them.

Sam and Tony fight in the air, punching each other. Scott swings the wing, crashing it to the ground; it explodes on contact.

"Okay. Anybody on our side hiding any shocking, and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose, I'm open to suggestion," Tony broke in, flying around. Sam pulls his wings inside his bag, free falling to the earth. He shoots RedWing out, hitting Tony in the face. "You want to get to them? You gotta go through me," Scott implies. He kicks the stacks of boxes T'Challa standing on, T'Challa running away from the foot.

A few explosions hit Scott on his chest, Rhodes flying towards him, Peter holding onto his foot with a web. Peter swings onto Scott's arm, shooting webs to try and slow him down.

"Hi, I'm Clint," Clint shoots at T'Challa. "And I don't care," he declared, stepping out of the way of the arrows. Clint turns his bow into a baton, swinging it at T'Challa, hitting him constantly. T'Challa swings an arm at Clint; Clint blocking it with his baton.

Rhodes uses a sonic radar device on Scott, but Scott easily kicks him away. Scott swings a truck at Rhodes, who shots it until it is only a handful of metal for Scott. He steps forward, intent on stepping on Rhodes, but Rhodes flies away and he steps on a vehicle instead. Bucky, Diana, and Steve keep running, Rhodes following them. Wanda throws vehicles with her telekinesis at Rhodes, slowing him down. Peter peeks into Scott's eyepiece, crawling on his helmet. Scott swings his arm, "get off." Peter swings on his arm, Scott hitting him out of the air. Diana, Bucky, and Steve are almost to the hangar; Diana can feel the cool air coming out of the building. Clint holds T'Challa in a choke hold with his baton; T'Challa using his claws to break the metal. He runs off to where the trio is.

Vision floats up to Scott, who tries to hold him, but his arms pass through. Vision passes through Scott, "guys! Someone just flew in me!"

Vision uses the infinity stone to cut a stack down to block the entrance into the hangar; it drops quickly, almost blocking their way. It holds up, them turning to see Wanda holding it up. Rhodes flies up to Wanda using the sonic radar to disturb her, the building going back to drop. In a few seconds, it was going to block the entrance, but they managed to go under it. Along with T'Challa. They are met with Natasha holding her arm up, knowing one of them was going to get electrocuted.

"You're not going to stop," Natasha gently says, pursing her lips.

"You know I can't," Steve shakes his head, Natasha sighing. "I'm going to regret this," she shoots, hitting T'Challa squarely in the chest. He drops in agony and pain, groaning. "Go." They run to the quinjet, Natasha repeatedly shooting T'Challa. "I said I was going to help you find him, not capture him," Natasha shakes her head, "there's a difference."

"Guys. You ever see that really old movie? Empire Strikes Back?" Peter asks. "Geez, Tony, how old is this kid?" Rhodes asks. "I don't know, I didn't carbon date him," Tony replies, "he's on the young side."

"You know that part? When they're on the snow planet? With the walking thingies?" He swings around Scott's legs, trapping them together. "I think he's onto something," Tony realizes. "Tony, go high." They shoot missiles at Scott's chest, Vision huddling into a ball and hitting him with a force that knocks him down. Scott's hand swings and hits Peter, sending him flying into boxes. Scott shrinks down to his normal sizes, his helmet-popping open, "does anyone have any orange slices?" "Kid, you alright?" Tony lands next to a dazed Peter. His mask is sliding off, "hey!" This scares Tony, "whoa!"

"Get off me!" Peter yells.

"Guess who? Hi," Tony replies. "Oh, hey man," Peter says weakly, laying his head back down on the ground. "Yeah," Tony nods. "That was scary," Peter sighs. "Yeah, you're done alright?" Tony instructs. "Stay down."

"What? No!" Peter replies. "I'm good, I'm fine!" He tries to get back up but he gets too sick. "Never mind."

Tony flies off, following Sam into the air. "Vision, I got a bandit on my six. Vision, do you copy? Target his thrusters, turn him into a glider," Rhodes informed. Vision turns his head to where they are, shooting at Sam with his infinity stone. Sam sees this, immediately pulling his wings in and dodging the blast. It finds its mark on Sam's suit, shutting everything down. "Rhodey?" Tony asks as he sees Rhodes falling out of the sky; his heart raises, he was his best friend, he didn't want him to die. He flies off to help his friend, "Tony, I'm flying dead stick." Rhodes feels the fear pump in his blood, his body sweating and heart pumping. He was scared; he was about to die. He didn't want to leave Tony all alone in this world. As soon as Sam and Tony get close enough to grab Rhodes, it was too late; his body collides with the ground, making a small crater of where his body hit. He immediately blacked out; nose bleeding, in pain from his waist up, but he couldn't feel the rest. The pain was too much for him.

Tony and Sam land, "I'm sorry, man." Tony shoots at Sam, sending him flying back. "Rhodes! Read vitals."

"Heartbeat detected. Emergency medical is on its way," FRIDAY answers.

Tony was relieved his friend was alive, all he ever wanted.


	8. 05. "SO WAS I"

**[** _Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you. You have been my greatest love. Today, you are my greatest sorrow._ **]**

**\--------**

**DIANA, STEVE, AND BUCKY WERE ALL** all in the quinjet, flying towards Siberia. "How long until we get there?" Diana questioned as she placed her hands on the back of Steve's seat. "From what I believe, at least 25 more minutes." "It has been a long time," Bucky's slightly raspy voice says as he walks around the plane  ― he seemed lost in his thoughts, possibly gathering more memories to grasp onto.

"It only has been 2 hours, Bucky," Diana chuckles. "It hasn't been that long."

"To you," Bucky pointed out. "While Steve and I were frozen, you got to live your life; time doesn't exist for you. For both of us, it does. We're still human." "Okay, so I've been alive for a long time, but those years were long," Diana proclaimed, "but both of you got to sleep those years off, I didn't. Those years were living hell for me."

"How is being immortal hell? I mean, to never get to die ― "

"Yeah, you never get to die but think of all the people that  _will_ eventually die, and you can't do anything about it, and you can't die so live with the deaths of the people you love," Diana interjected. "Okay, there's the downside," Steve pipes. "Imagine what Diana has gone through, the deaths she had to endure. I'm not saying that what  _you_ have gone through isn't horrible because it is, but we will someday die, but not her." Bucky hooks his thumbs on the loops of his pants, leaning back on one leg. "So have you had children?"

Diana shakes her dark head. "No. I wouldn't want to live longer than my own children."

"What do you mean you will live longer than your children? You're immortal, so why doesn't it pass down to them?"

"Look, Bucky, I have been appointed to be the Goddess of Truth, that's what gives me my immortality. Once someone has become immortal, they can't back down," Diana explains, turning to face Bucky. "All the other gods have been killed off, so I'm the only Greek Goddess left, meaning if I want to have children, I would have to have them with mortal men and the children will come out mortal. The power of being immortal cannot be passed down. It must be given - I do not have the power to do that.

"And anyway, how did asking how much time we have left turn into talk of immortality?" Diana scoffs, turning her head to look out the large window. Bucky chuckles at her statement, looking at her with the adoration - the type of adoration one looks at their significant other with. She didn't notice it and broke his heart. In the last few hours he has started to like her like a lover, and yet she looked at him like he was her friend's long-lost brother; nothing more. But he didn't know that Diana was good at hiding her true feelings ― if she wanted to cry, she would put on her most award-winning smile and go one about her day. "Hey, guys, we're almost there," Steve said, bringing Bucky out of his trance. "Alright," Diana nods, "Bucky, Natasha has some weapons in that drawer with her name on it, I'm sure she won't mind if you use them...and if we don't tell her." Bucky smiles at her, "okay."

**\-------**

**"THE DOCTOR SAID HE SHATTERED L4 TO S1. EXTREME LACERATION IN THE SPINAL CORD. PROBABLY LOOKING AT SOME FORM OF PARALYSIS,"** Tony said, walking up next to Natasha who was overlooking the lawn of the Avengers HQ. "Steve's not going to stop," Natasha shakes her red locks, "If you don't either, then Rhodey is going to be the best case scenario." Tony looks at her in slight disbelief, "you let them go." "We played this wrong," Natasha replies, her green eyes wandering over to Tony's tall figure.

"We? Boy. It must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh? Sticks in the DNA," Tony sarcastically says.

"Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for 1 god damn second?" Natasha asks, raising her dark eyebrow at him. She hated him right now, his ego getting on her nerves. "I only have one nerve left and you're dry humping it." "T'Challa told Ross what you did, so, they're coming for you," Tony informs her, Natasha rolling her eyes at him-she could care less, she told the government two years back to arrest her and they didn't, so what was Ross going to do? "I'm not the one who needs to watch their back," Natasha leaves him alone in the bare, grey room, stunned.

"What am I looking at?" Tony asks as his phone lights up.

"Priority upload from Berlin police," FRIDAY answers, files coming up on the blue screen. "Fire up the chopper."

**\-------**

**TONY WAS INSIDE HIS SELF-FLYING HELICOPTER,** a torrential rainstorm happening outside, the sounds of raindrops hitting the flying contraption was heard all around Tony. "The Task Force called for a psychiatrist as soon as Barnes was captured. The UN dispatched Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour. He was met by this man," a picture of Zemo, a man with a mole on his chin, small, thin lips, brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. "Did you run a facial recognition yet?"

"What do I look like?" FRIDAY sassed.

"I'm picturing a redhead," Tony answers, holding his broken arm closer to his body, swiveling his body to face the screen better. "You must be thinking I'm someone else," FRIDAY replies, pictures flooding the screen. "I must be," Tony nods, his mind wandering to Pepper. "The fake doctor is actually Colonel Helmut Zemo. Sokovian intelligence. Zemo ran EKO Skorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad," a picture pops up on the screen. It's one of a man with thin lips, brown hair, and eyes, in a Sokovian military uniform while holding a rifle, staring at the camera and surrounded by multiple men in the same uniform. "So what happened to the real Broussard?" Tony's eyebrows knit together, a crease forming between them.

"He was found dead in a Berlin hotel room. The police also found a wig and facial prosthesis approximating the appearance of one James Buchanan Barnes."

"Son of a bitch," Tony blurted. "Get this to Ross."

"Yes, boss," FRIDAY replies, the screen going blank.

**\------**

**"THIS IS THE RAFT PRISON CONTROL,"** a male's voice fills the small, cramped space of the helicopter, "you are clear for landing, Mr. Stark." The Raft protrudes from the underneath the ocean's surface, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water washing off the black prison.

The helicopter lands inside the Raft, water falling into it. "So? Did you get the files? Let's reroute the satellites, and start facial scanning for this Zemo guy," Tony gets off the flying contraption, walking alongside Ross. "You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you even after that fiasco in Leipzig? You're lucky you're not in one of these cells," Ross replies as he goes into the control room, Tony walking into the cell area. The sound of hands clapping fill the area. "The futurist, gentlemen! The futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not," Clint sarcastically says, bowing his head. "Give me a break, Barton," Tony walks over to Clint's cell. "I have no idea they'll put you in here, come on."

"You knew they'd put us somewhere," Clint shrugged.

"Yeah. But, not some supermax floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for ---"

"Criminals? Criminals, Tony. I think that's the word you're looking for. Right? It ain't used to mean me, or Sam, or Wanda. But, here we are," Clint raises his arms, motion to all the other enhanced people in the other cells.

"Cause you broke the law," Tony says.

"Yeah," Clint nods, taking a glance at Tony at the corner of his eyes. "I didn't make you," he shakes his head, placing his hand on the side glass, Clint walking up to it. "The law, the law." Clint chants, rolling his eyes. "You read it, you broke it," Tony says. "The law, the law, the law." "Alright, you're all grown-ups. You got a wife and kids. I don't understand. Why didn't you think about them before you choose the wrong side?" Tony walks away, Clint slamming his hands onto the side-glass. "You better watch your back on this guy. Chances are he's going to break it!"

"Hank Pym always said 'you can never trust a Stark'," Scott Lang leans back on one leg, eyes following the moving figure of the multi-millionaire scientist. "Who are you?" Tony retorts.

"C'mon," Scott sighs, moving away to sit on his bed.

"How's Rhodes?" Sam asks, his back turned to Tony. "We're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow," Tony crosses his arms, "So... Fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?" Sam scoffs, "you're playing the good cop, now?"

"I'm just a guy who needs to know where Steve went."

"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you would have to go Mark 'Terminal' on my ass to get information out of me," Sam turns to look at Tony. Tony fiddles with his watch, "Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realized it's not their equipment." In the control room, the camera in Sam's cell shows  _'No Audio.'_ "What happened?" Ross asks. "Put it back up." "Just look. Because that is the fellow who is suppose to interrogate Barnes. Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong," Tony confesses. "Well, that's a first," Sam sasses, rolling his dark eyes. "Cap is definitely off the reservation and he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to..." Tony shakes his head, looking at the ground, his face holding the look of embarrassment.

"Hey. It's alright. Look, I will tell you. But you have to go alone and as a friend. "

"Done."

Tony walks out of the cell room, Ross walking next to him from the control room, "Did he tell you anything on Rogers?"

"No, he told me to go to hell," Tony shakes his head. He walks onto the helicopter, adding, "I'm going back to the compound instead. But, you can call me anytime. I'll put you on hold, I like to watch the line blink."

**\------**

**DIANA, BUCKY, AND STEVE ARE STANDING** in the entranceway of the quinjet, Bucky having one of Natasha's rifles in hand. "You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?" Steve asks Bucky, turning his head to look at him.

"Was that the time you used our train money to buy hot dogs?"

Diana's lips spread into a smile, "you never told me this, Steve." "Never?" He has an expression of confusion, a chuckle in his voice. "No," she shakes her head. "Maybe sometimes you both should tell me stories of your childhoods."

"What do we get in return?" Bucky smiles. Diana's head turns to him. "What if I tell you stories of where I come from?" "You would do that?" Steve's blonde eyebrows raise, "tell us stories of you as a child?" Diana nods, eyes bright and laughing. "Yeah, I would. I wouldn't mind getting out all the years of stories I have." "How many years?" Bucky cocks his head to the side. "Huh?" "How old are you?" He emphasizes. "Oh," Diana chuckles, "you were only a year old when I was 19. Back in November 1918."

"So you're older than both of us?" Steve asks.

Diana nods her dark head, "yeah, yeah I am." She has a small smirk playing on her lips, taunting the two males in the room. Steve shakes his head with a laugh.

"You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead," Steve says.

"What was her name again?" Bucky asks as he takes a peek at the tall stature of Diana. She looked like she was enjoying their presence ― which she was   ― and he couldn't help but smile at the expression she wore: a mix of amusement and easiness. "Dolores," Steve answers. "You called her Dot." Diana enjoyed to hear stories about real-life events; it helped her with some things that happened in history, but sort of behind the scenes, like Bucky and Steve's lives. "She must be a hundred years old by now," Bucky shakes his dark head. "So are we, pal." Steve clasps Bucky's shoulder with his hand, shaking him lightly side-to-side.

**\-------**

**NOW WEARING HIS HELMET,** Steve, Bucky and Diana walk up to the building peeking out from underneath the cold, white snow and ice, its door wide open. Diana's eyebrows furrow in confusion; why leave the door open? It would lead unwanted enemies to you. Until Diana realized it's a trap. She opened her mouth to speak but Steve cuts her off.

"He couldn't have been here for more than a few hours."

"Long enough to wake them up." Bucky's voice had a determined edge to it, but underneath it all, you could hear the traces of fear. He was scared to come back here; he was scared to become the Winter Soldier once more; he was scared for their lives. What happened if he killed Steve and Diana while he was under? He didn't want to be responsible for that. Why couldn't he just stay in the quinjet? Because he had two people he cared for go in there and he didn't want them to go alone.

"Guys," Diana's exotic accent rings out. "What if it's a trap?"

"Then we fight it out," Steve answers. Diana shook her head, "one day your pride will kill you." Steve just chuckles, shaking his head. Not in the 'okay-I-believe-you-but-I'm-just-going-to-shake-my-head' type of way, it's more of a 'what-a-stupid-little-puppy-trying-to-eat-my-shoe' type and it made Diana furious. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, following the sounds of their footsteps. She hears a squeak, her eyes springing open and turning, seeing the heavy metal door forced open. She noticed they were on stairs, she was on the bottom step. She dropped to one knee, shield out and Steve does the same. Bucky stands with his (well, it's not really  _his_ but oh well) rifle pointed to the door, ready to shoot on sight.

The door finally opens with a final shriek and they see Tony in his suit walk in. He retracts his helmet. "You seem a little defensive." Diana and Steve stand up. "What are you doing here?" Diana asks, taking a step closer to Tony. Steve and Bucky, being the protective people they are, place their hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe. Ross has no idea I'm here," Tony answers, "I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself." Diana rolls her brown eyes, looking at Steve for his move. "Seems like a lot of paperwork." Diana gives Bucky her best 'are-you-kidding-me?' look, making Bucky smile at her expression.

"Good to see you Tony," Steve nods at the metal-clad man.

"You too, Cap," Tony looks over Steve's and Diana's shoulders at Bucky. "Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop..."

Steve signals Bucky to lower his weapon, Bucky staring at him in slight disbelief before finally pointing it at the metal stairs. They all walk through the silent, bare halls, Diana turning her head at everything. She was slightly fascinated that these halls, the boring, stone walls, once heard lots of clatter and screams, once were walked in many times, once held James Buchanan Barnes trapped as the Winter Soldier. At the thought, she lowers her head, keeping a soothing hand in Bucky's.

Thy don't notice T'Challa, in his Black Panther suit, creeping along the halls and silently watching them. "I got heat signatures," Tony announces. "How many?" Steve asks him. "Uh," he pauses, "one."

As they enter the vast chamber the lights come on. Hazy, yellow mist descends within the capsules. As well as Josef, each one contains an enhanced soldier from the 1991 experiment. Steve and the others look around, bewildered. Diana notices small bullet holes in the yellow glass of the chambers. "Look," she points out, "they've been killed off. If he doesn't want them, what would he be doing here?"

"Good question, Diana," the voice of Helmut Zemo comes through a speaker. "If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." Zemo appears in a control room. Steve hurls his shield but it flies back. "Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets." "I'm betting I could beat that," Tony points a finger at Zemo. "Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came," Zemo taunts the enhanced people and the self-proclaimed 'genius billionaire playboy philanthropist.' Diana glares at the small man in the window, Zemo seeing the glare and slightly faltering. Her glares could scare off the biggest and worst of monsters. "You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?"

T'Challa watches from the shadows, looking away as his mind processes what Steve said. Steve steps up to the window, Diana soon following to protect him if anything happened but Bucky holds her back.

" I thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realized... there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw," Zemo smirks with his ridiculously small, thin lips. "You're Sokovian," Steve says, "is that what this is about?" "Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise," Zemo shakes head. Steve studies Zemo closely, eyes squinting a little. "You lost someone?"

He looks grave, clicks his tongue. " lost everyone. And so will you."

He clicks a button next to him, starting a videotape next to the others. Steve walks over. They look at the little date in the corner:  _December 16, 1991._ "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within? That's dead... forever."

Tony looks at the freeze frame of a secluded road and the little date. He looks a bit pale, grim at the date of his parents' deaths. "I know that road..." he points at the screen. "What is this?" The video plays. That car that the Winter Soldier forced off the road crashes into a tree. Tony watches intently as the Winter Soldier rides up and gets off his motorbike. Steve watches Tony's increasing unease. The driver lies on the ground beside the car. It's Tony's father, Howard. "Help my wife. Please. Help."

The Winter Soldier hoists Howard up by his snow-white hair. Howard looks up at the unflinching man, eyes showing recognition. "Sergeant Barnes?"

With that, the Winter Soldier punches Howard hard with his metal fist, effectively killing him. "Howard!" Maria calls out in pain to her dead husband. Tony glares at the video. Diana sets her jaw and Bucky shows signs of regret and pain. "Howard!"

In grief, Tony closes his eyes for a moment. On screen, his father slumps dead. The Winter Soldier puts him in the driver's seat with his face against the steering wheel. Tony stares in horror. Maria's in the passenger seat with blood streaked down her face. The Winter Soldier walks around and grips her throat. Expressionless, he strangles Maria. Tony watches the screen stunned. The Winter Soldier walks up and aims a gun at the surveillance camera. Steve watches Tony anxiously. Tony lunges towards Bucky, Steve stops him. Diana steps in front of Bucky protectively, hand on his hip, keeping him behind her as the other ripped her sword.

"Tony! Tony!" Steve struggles to keep Tony still.

"Did you know?" He looks at Steve with tearing eyes. "I didn't know it was him," Steve lies. "Don't bullshit me, Rogers!" Tony yells. "Did you know?"

"Yes," Steve nods in regret.

Diana's eyes tear up, wiping the falling tears with her shoulder. Tony steps back, his chin twitching upwards, reengaging the helmet. He fires at Steve, knocking him back and Diana had no time to pull out her sword when she was hit by a massive force. She lands on the ground, the groundbreaking with her force. He deflects gunfire from Bucky, disarming him quickly. He grabs Bucky and flies across the chamber, slamming him onto the floor, then jumps on his arms. Steve throws his shield at Tony, distracting him. Diana gets up from the floor while groaning in pain, her head hit the cement pretty hard; there was some blood collecting on the space underneath her head. Zemo watches in amusement before walking away, out into the cold frigid winter air.

Steve barges Tony backward. Tony shoulders him to the floor and shackles his ankles. Bucky punches Tony who just lifts him and slams him against a machine. Iron Man raises a fist but Bucky twists it. A rocket shoots out of the arm, a fireball exploding. Diana tries to get up, but when Steve sees her in pain, he calls out, "stay down Diana! You're too hurt!" Diana feels around her scalp for anything that might be causing her discomfort. She feels a small rough, bumpy thing, and when she pulls it out, she screams in pain: it was a rock lodged in her skull.

Steve slices his shackles as a towering structure of pipeworks collapses. Tony and Bucky are thrown down a level as twisted metal falls around them, showering sparks.

"Get out of here!" Steve yells to Bucky, waving him off. Bucky nods and runs away, taking a look at the bloody Diana. Diana was in more distress than pain; she hadn't bled in over 90 years from a battle wound, only when it was her time of the month and she was more than scared. He runs over to her, swiftly picking her up from her own blood. "It's okay," he chants into her ear as he runs away with her in his arms.

As Bucky bolts, Iron Man fires, but misses. Steve lands in front of him. Bucky hits a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead starts to open. "It wasn't him!" Steve yells. "HYDRA had control over his mind!"

"Move!"

Tony flies over Steve, but Steve grabs his ankle, using his strength to break the thruster. Tony blocks Steve by shooting down rubble, then falteringly flies up the tower. "Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised."

"Ah crap," Tony sighs. With Diana in hand, it took Bucky a while to get to the middle of the silo-style structure. Diana was flailing in his arms, yelling incoherent words about how she wanted to go on up by herself, using her own limbs and not be carried. Bucky kept a tight grip on her waist with his left arm.

Above Tony Bucky leaps from platform to platform. With stuttering jets, Iron Man gives chase, then kicks Bucky and takes aim, but the energy bold rebounds on Steve's shield onto himself. Iron Man drops like a stone and lands on a lower platform.

"He's not going to stop, go!" Steve sees Bucky's frozen form.

As Tony soars upwards, Steve leaps and shoots a wire which wraps around Tony's neck and drags him back down. He deflects Steve's shield, then tries to target Bucky. "Come on, come on," Tony grumbles. "Targeting systems knackered, boss," FRIDAY replies. "I'm eyeballing it." He opens the mask, squints one eye, and takes aim at the door's massive hinges. He fires and hits the hatch's hinge, exploding and shutting an incoherent Diana and fearful Bucky's escape route. Bucky puts Diana on the metal platform, stepping away to get her away from the harms of a fight, grabbing a nearby pipe. Tony flies up, blocks two swings from an iron pipe from Bucky, then grabs him around the neck from behind.

"Do you even remember them?"

**"I remember all of them."** Bucky pushes them both from the walkway, Steve jumps into them to deflect their fall. Bucky lands on a platform while Tony and Steve land on the concrete floor beside opening in the wall where snow drifts in from outside. Diana was struggling to remove the rock from her head so it would heal quickly, watching the fight unfold below.

"This isn't going to change what happened," Steve shakes his head. "I don't care, he killed my mom," Tony growl at Steve.

They trade punches and Iron Man ends up pinning Steve down. Bucky picks up Captain America's shield and leaps down to help. As the two super soldiers fist fight with Iron Man, the shield changes hands between them until Tony manages to zap Steve who is thrown back into the wall. Bucky struggles to hold Iron Man at bay as he unleashes an energy beam, then he forces Iron Man against the opposite wall and grips the glowing core in the chest of the Iron Man Suit. A blast of energy knocks Bucky down, metal arm completely was blown away. Tony zaps him again. Steve rushes him with his shield up and Iron Man fires right at it.

**\------**

**ZEMO IS OUTSIDE, PHONE IN HAND,** listening to the words of his wife pour out of the speaker.  _"You should have seen his little face,"_ she says,  _"Just try, okay? I'm going to bed. I love you."_

"I almost killed the wrong man," T'Challa places his helmet in the snow, walking up to Zemo. "Hardly an innocent one," Zemo sneers. "Is this what you wanted?" T'Challa sits down next to Zemo. "To see them rip each other apart?" Zemo deletes the voice message. "My father lived outside the city. I thought we would be safe there. My son was excited. He could see the Iron Man from the car window. I told my wife, 'Don't worry. They are fighting in the city. We're miles from harm.' When the dust cleared... and the screaming stopped, it took me two days until I found their bodies. My father... still holding my wife and son in his arms. And the Avengers? They went home. I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other... I'm sorry about your father. He seemed a good man. With a dutiful son."

T'Challa's eyes water with tears. "Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them." He blinks ruefully and retracts his claws back into his gloves. "I'm done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough."

Zemo holds a gun in his hand, smirking at the weight and T'Challa. "Tell that to the dead."

He goes to shoot himself but T'Challa knocks the gun out of the way, pinning Zemo to the ground. "The living are not done with you yet."

**\------**  
 **TONY, STEVE, AND BUCKY ARE STILL** fighting in the silo, Diana successfully taking out the rock. She feels much better, the wound closing and blood rushing through her veins to replace what has been lost. "You can't beat them hand-to-hand!" FRIDAY warns Tony.

"Analyze his fight pattern," Tony commands. "Scanning!" Iron Man's HUD flashes red as Steve lands blow after blow. "Countermeasures ready!"

As soon as Tony grabs Steve's shield, him saying, 'let's kick his ass', Diana flips down onto the hallway, Bucky staring at her in admiration, Steve in pride and Tony in fear. "Shit," he lets out.

He flings the shield away then zaps Steve backward, head over heels. Steve rises and Tony blocks his punches then zaps him to his knees before Bucky who's lying on his back. Diana rushes to Tony, using her sword to stab and swing at him, making large dents appear onto his already worn-out suit. Diana was unpredictable, using different maneuvers that FRIDAY couldn't scan. Tony was getting his ass beat and he knew that. "She is too advanced for you! Let it go!" FRIDAY yells. "Diana!" Steve yells. Diana slows down, Tony seeing the chance and blasts her in her chest, sending her sprawling towards Bucky, but she lands on her knees on top of him. "Are you okay?" She places a hand on the broken arm, wires stinging her skin somewhat.

"Yeah." He nods.

"He's my friend," Steve says to Tony. "So was I," he punches Steve then throws him back at the gaps in the wall. "Stay down. Final warning."

Steve struggles to his feet, his face bloody and his gate weary. He raises his fists and stares Tony down. "I can do this all day." "That seems to be his line for everything," Bucky whispers into Diana's ear, making her snicker. Tony lifts his left arm to fire at Steve. Bucky grabs Tony's leg, and Tony spins, kicking him in the face.

Steve grabs Tony and lifts him over his head, then throws him down, punches him and bashes his mask off with his shield before striking down hard on the suit's core.Tony looks horrified and glowers fearfully at Steve who pants for breath. Both have blood spattered across their faces. Steve looks back at Tony then shuts his eyes and slumps down. The shield remains upright, stuck fast in the center of the Iron Man Suit. When Steve struggles up again he takes hold of the shield, gripping the edge and pulling it free. He steps away from Tony who rolls painfully onto his side. Bucky lies bloodied but conscious, Diana reaches out and pulls him to his feet, holding him up as Tony looks on.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony says as Steve, Diana, and Bucky turn their backs. "You don't deserve it! My father made it!" Steve stops, raises his chin, and walks away with Diana, Bucky's arm around her shoulder. "I didn't expect another fight to happen," she whispers. "Me neither," Steve shakes his head.

"Let's get to the quinjet and get some rest, I'm tired," Bucky smiles, pressing a kiss to Diana's soft cheek. His lips were chapped and dry, but it felt good against her cheek, flaring a dark blush against the sun-kissed skin.


	9. 06. "I CAN'T TRUST MY OWN MIND."

❝ To be human is to love, even when it gets too much, you're not ready to give up. ❞

━━━━━━

**IN A SECURE CHAMBER IN BERLIN,** Zemo sits in a prison pod, ankles chained to the seat. Ross walks into the bare room, the only light coming from the pod. Ross sits into a weak metal chair in front of the table; the same chair Zemo sat in before turning Bucky into the Winter Soldier. "Meals at eight and five. Toilet privileges twice a day. Raise your voice, zap. Touch the glass, zap. You step out of line, you deal with me. Please, step out of line. Hm?" Zemo just stares at Ross as he lists the things. " So how does it feel? To spend all that time, all that effort... and, to see it fail so spectacularly?"

Zemo lifts his head, meeting Ross's blue eyes. "Did it?"

━━━━━━

**TONY AND RHODES WALK THROUGH** the Avengers HQ, a metal contraption strapped to Rhodes' legs, helping him walk. Tony was close, keeping a hand on Rhodes' shoulder to let him know he was there to help him if he needed it. He uses the help of parallel bars on either side of him to keep him upright. "It's only the first pass," Tony says.

"Yeah," Rhodes nods, taking a deep breath as he continuous to walk.

"Give me some feedback. Anything you can think of. Shock absorption. Lateral movement. Cup holder?"

"Might need A/C down..." Rhodes trips and falls, Tony kneeling quickly to help him up. "Here," he holds his hand out, but Rhodes waved him away, Tony standing up again. His pride was hurting, he didn't need it to hurt more. "No, no," he gets on one knee. He manages to sit down beside Tony, sweat collecting on his hairline and forehead. He shakes his head in disbelief, "138. 138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the same with these Accords. I signed because it was the right thing to do. And, yeah, this sucks. This is... This is a bad beat. But it hasn't changed my mind. I don't think."

He gives Tony a crooked smile and holds up his hand. Tony takes it and helps his friend to his feet. "You okay?" "Yeah," Rhodes nods. A Fed-Ex driver knocks on the glass, getting the attention of the two war heroes. He squints at the white box in his hands, reading the address and receiver. "Are... are you Tony Stank?"

Rhodes bursts out laughing, clapping Tony on the shoulder multiple times. " Yes, this is- this is Tony "Stank". You're in the right place. Thank you for that! I'm never dropping that, by the way. Table for one, Mr. "Stank". Please, by the bathroom." He wobbles unsteadily on both feet as he walks away, Tony going over to sign for the box. He grabs it from the white-haired man and walks to his pristine desk. He sits on his chair as he opens the package, shaking the contents out onto the flat surface. It held a letter and an old phone, a flip phone to be precise.

The letter held Steve's signature on it.

_Tony, I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I've been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. My faith's in people, I guess. Individuals. And I'm happy to say that, for the most part, they haven't let me down._

_Which is why I can't let them down either. Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn't. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but I can see now that I was really sparing myself, and I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should..._

━━━━━━

**SAM HEARS A LOUD COMMOTION OUTSIDE** his cell, the sounds of men fighting and groans of hurt men. He stands up and looks out his glass, seeing Steve's form step closer to the glass. He smirks at him, Steve punching the glass open and breaking the bars blocking the escape.

 

━━━━━━

**"PRIORITY CALL FROM SECRETARY** Ross. There's been a breach at the Raft prison," FRIDAY informs Tony, who was reading the letter. "Yeah," he looks at the phone, "put him through." He drops the letter and places his head on his forefinger and thumb, looking at the phone as if it were really amusing.

"Tony, we have a problem," Ross' voice comes from the machine, Tony holding up his finger. "Ah, hold on."

"No, Tony, don't..." Ross' voice gets cut off as Tony clicks the 'hold' button on the machine, going back to reading Steve's letter.

_So, no matter what. I promise you, if you need us, if you need me, I'll be there._

━━━━━━

**"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?" STEVE** asks Bucky, who was wearing pristine white clothes, a sleeve on the broken metal arm. It was just a nub, but it broke Diana's heart that it was taken away from him. Yes, it did cost a lot of lives, but it was the second arm he had. He had lost two arms and she was sad that he lost them both fighting. "I can't even trust my own mind," Bucky's reply makes Steve's heart drop a little. Bucky's voice cracked a little in the middle of his sentence. He was scared to go back under. "So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing, ...for everybody."

"So that means no stories for a while?" Diana walks up to the two men, wearing a burgundy wrap dress with a cape-like back and black heeled boots. "Yeah, maybe," Bucky nods. This was the first time he saw Diana in civilian clothes and he was about to go under. It might be the last time he might see her for a long time. "When you wake up, I'm not going to be here," she shifts uncomfortably on her feet, looking a little bit like she was ashamed of something.

"Why?" Steve shakes his head.

"I have a flight to Paris today," she answers, "as soon as I get there I'm going to start working at my new job. It pays really well, about maybe $140,000 a year. So, if you need me for anything, I'll be working at the Louvre Museum as the Ancient Greek artifacts curator."

Steve looks at her in confusion, "I thought you said you didn't want to go back to civilian life."

"Well, people change," as Diana said this she looked at Bucky, his nose having a scab growing on the bridge. "And anyway," she checks her watch, "I need to get ready to go to the airport." She walks away, leaving Bucky heartbroken. It was probably going to be years before he saw her again. She stopped suddenly, rethinking her departure. She smiles softly and runs back to Bucky, her heels clacking alarming him of her arrival. He looks up to see Diana sprinting towards him, dress billowing behind her like she was stuck in a windstorm, and then felt her lips smash against his. She kissed him with all her heart, pouring every ounce of love she could into it. Bucky was glad about it. Hell, he was more than excited about the kiss. It felt amazing, like they were meant for each other, two opposites attracting each other. One good, one misunderstood, both still honorable.

They kiss for a while, Bucky pulling back to breathe, opening his steel blue eyes open. Diana is smiling at him, her white teeth gleaming back at him. "For the years to come," she says as she tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. She walks away, grabbing a suitcase Bucky didn't see along with her. He feels a few corners cut into his fleshy palm, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What was it?

He opens his hand to see a piece of paper. He carefully opens it, seeing a feminine handwriting on it. Diana's.

_What if we go to the Eiffel Tower when you wake up...if there isn't a fight? When you wake up, contact me at (832)-910-1937 or @ dianaprince@gmail.com._

_Love, Diana Prince._

His eyes scanned the paper once more before seeing a sentence at the bottom he didn't see before.

_Two lost souls don't find each other by a simple accident._

"Sir? Are you ready?" A doctor asks him, eyeing his tearful expression. "Yeah," he nods. The bed leans back into the tank, a glass protrudes from the bottom of the tube and Bucky sees another paper taped to it.

_I like you._   
_Love, Diana._

"Dork," he shakes his head, chuckling, and the ice overtakes him, freezing him with a big smile and him thinking of Diana.


	10. 07. *"YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO ME."

❛ To be human is to love even when it gets too much, you're not ready to give up. ❜

*** - smut warning**

**\--**

**DIANA HAD BEEN WORKING AT THE** museum for a while, helping the men move the large marble gods statues and identifying the gods and goddesses. She had her own office and she was surrounded by ancient shields, swords, and armor. She felt right at home. Diana had been getting texts from Steve and the others, mostly Natasha. Natasha had heard about Diana's new job and decided to tease her about it.

_'How does it feel like to be part of the Ancient Greek exhibit?'_

_'I was about to go buy a fossil but realized I just have to go to you.'_

_'Do they make you stand among the statues as an artifact?'_

Diana didn't really mind the texts, in fact, she was looking forward to them. Steve's texts were a bit more informational than sarcastic.

_'Bucky's still in cryo. I have no idea when we will wake him up.'_

_'Thor just came back to Earth, he has Bruce with him.'_

_'Tony wants to get the Avengers back together along with T'Challa. He has already offered him a job.'_

Diana had been working on one of the statues of Hera, using an extra small paintbrush to brush off any accumulated dirt in the nooks of the statue. She was standing on a ladder, patiently brushing off dirt, when her phone rang. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath - she wanted to get this statue done and go home. She had been working on this marble piece for ten hours, she was more than tired. Her legs and back hurt from standing for so long - and that meant something.  _'I shouldn't have worn heels today,'_ she steps down from her spot and walks across the cherry wood floors to the museum's small work table.

_'Incoming call from Steve.'_ It read.

She takes off the latex gloves and hits accept, placing the phone close to her ear. "Hello, Steve," she greets, "how are you?"

"Hey, D," his voice rings. "I'm... well, I don't know how to describe it." His voice was far-away, like his body was there but his mind wasn't, his soul wasn't there on Earth. "What is it, Steve?" She felt more alert at that; Steve barely was so distressed about something he sounded he was too far for anyone around him to catch him before he flew out of their reach. "Um," he starts, "Bucky somehow awoke in the cryo. He doesn't know how or why, but he's awake. Do you mind coming here? He keeps asking for you."

Diana nods but realizes Steve can't see her. "Yeah, sure."

"Well," he says, "the quinjet's going to be there in a few, so... hand tight." "But I'm still at work and I need to pack," she hurried to pack her purse, putting the pack of gum she had back in the bag. "Don't worry, we had Natasha buy you more clothes for your arrival," he replies, a chuckle evident in his voice.

"Alright," she breathes, "where is the quinjet going to be?"

"You just need a ride there," Steve's voice comes from behind her. She furrows her dark eyebrows, turning to look at him. "When did you get here?" She ends the call. "I had a ride on the quinjet," he shrugs, crossing the large room to pick up a paintbrush. "Is this what you guys use to clean off the statues?" He asks, fiddling with it. "Yes," Diana plucks it from his hands, "now come on, show me where he is!"

"You seem more excited than nervous," he chuckles, hooking his thumbs on the loops of his suit - which is something Diana wondered why he wore it. "Why the suit?" She asks, pointing at the blue thing.

"In case of an emergency," he replies. Just like that. Just like it was the simplest thing in the world, just like one would say what they had for breakfast. Which reminded Diana that she hadn't had anything to eat for past ten hours. Her stomach growled, signaling Steve of her hunger. "Have you eaten today?" He asked worriedly.

"No, I was too busy," she shook her head, an ashamed smile on her lips.

"We'll pick up some food on the way there," Steve wrapped a well-muscled arm around Diana, shrouding her in warmth.

He sounded like a grandmother that had just learned her grandchild had nothing to eat and was going on a full-on cooking rampage. "I can manage on some granola bars," Diana chuckles, "really, our first priority is Bucky." 

**_____**

**BUCKY HAD BEEN WAITING FOR DIANA** restlessly for the past 4 hours. He knew the quinjet took less time to travel, but he was growing impatient at the waiting time. He laid on Diana's old bed, her smell still mingling on the sheets and air, a smell of a mix of vanilla and coconuts. He looks at a photograph on her nightstand; a worn, tattered black and white photograph of Diana standing amongst four men, clad in her suit and staring at the camera defiantly. The four men were in military suits except one had a kilt on instead of pants. He read the date on the lower right corner:

_Belgium, November 18. The Old Ironsides._

One of them stood to the right of Diana with shaggy blonde-looking hair that swept over his eyes and the sides were cut real short, had a United States Army aviator suit with an aviator jacket, and it seemed as if Steve and he could be brothers if they weren't born so far apart.

Another was a tad bit taller than Diana and it looked as if he were from an Indian tribe; another stood next to the pilot and was the shortest of the group, had a weird-looking flat felt cone-shaped hat.

He thought about the name,  _The Old Ironsides. What did they do to get that name?_

"How about those stories?" He hears an accented-voice say from behind him. He jerks up and turns his head, his heart pounding when he sees Diana in a white lace-up shirt, black tights, and a pair of old socks. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, letting him see her face more clearly. "Diana," he breathed. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders; he was starting to believe that the quinjet had been struck down. He raced over to her, grasping her tall, lean frame into his arm in a bone-crushing hug. It felt weird for Diana to get hugged with one arm and the other was wrapped in a pad.

"I've missed you," she whispers as she buries her face deeper into his shoulder blade.

He smelled like a mix of hibiscus flowers and lavender with a hint of sage; Diana didn't know what soap he was using but wanted him to keep using it. "I've missed you, too," Bucky kisses the side of her neck, her skin smooth and warm against his lips. "What took you so long?" He tugs her onto her bed, sitting her down next to him. His body radiated heat like a heater, keeping Diana warm and content. "I didn't eat for ten hours so Steve got me some McDonald's," she shrugs, "I'm sorry."

"Diana!" He yells, scaring her. "Why didn't you eat for ten hours you need your strength!"

**\--SMUT WARNING!--**

"I'm sorry, I just had to work on something for the museum," Diana laughs. "What's more important, work or your strength?" Bucky asks. She lifts up her gaze to his, a small blush forming on her cheeks, "you. You are more important." She softly grazes her lips on his, grabbing his stubbly cheeks in her warm hands. Bucky forces his lips onto hers, closing his eyes as her tongue carefully swipes over his bottom lip.

He slightly opens his mouth, just enough for her tongue to come in and brush against his. Her lips taste like chocolate milk, just like the drink she had along with her burger. He's savoring the moment as her tongue brushes against his once more, him following it back into her mouth and swiping it with his. She pulls away from him, chest heaving somewhat and whispers, "make love to me."

He goes in for her neck, fiddling with the ties for her shirt. One pull of them and she's bare; he feels that she's not wearing a bra as he presses himself against her. She moans and tugs on his hair, a sultry and innocent sound to his ears.

"Diana," he whimpers as she tugs a little too hard on his dark mane, but its more out of pleasure than pain; his hair was his biggest weakness in the bedroom, he definitely did not lose that part of the old Bucky. He tugs on the ties, loosening them and brushing the straps from her shoulders. Her breasts are out and her captures one in his hand, the left one, and he squeezes it like he's trying to get the thing underneath it: her heart.

Her nipples are a dusty rose color, peaked and ready for his mouth. Diana was pretty sensitive: she hadn't had sex for almost a century. She eyes the photo on her nightstand, her eyes half-lidded from the pleasure of Bucky's warm fingers on her skin. "Bucky, please," she brushes her hand over his half-hard manhood, eliciting a moan from him, pushing himself against her hand.

He switches from her neck to her right nipple, her back arching as his perfect lips encased her sensitive bud. He kept sucking and nipping, making Diana moan with each pass of his tongue. He takes her nipple softly between his teeth and pulling away, Diana pushing towards it. She wanted this more than ever, she was ready for him.

She takes his shirt off, pushing him onto the bed and throwing the material over her shoulder. "Let me please you," she whispers at the super soldier. She runs her hands over his toned stomach as she moves down his body, playing with the soft short hairs on his happy trail before unbuttoning his jeans. He's watching her do this, mouth parted as her hands came back up, fingertips grazing over his nipples.

She uses her teeth to unzip his jeans, moving her hands back down to jerk them off. His hard member strains against the confines of his black boxers, skin-tight against his muscled thighs.

"You have good thighs," she comments. "I wonder if they're called the thighs of betrayal?"

He laughs at her, but it gets cut off as his member is grasped in Diana's fist, replaced with a moan. She's moving her hand in tiny strokes, smiling down at his package. "So did the serum work everywhere?" She asks. "Honey, I was big even before the serum, this just made it into a woman's best nightmare," he runs his hands on her cheeks, giving her a small smirk. "Really?" She licks him from bottom to leaking tip, tasting the sweet saltiness of his precum.

He tasted good, even better than what Diana had imagined. She takes him into her mouth, getting a long moan of approval from Bucky. She bobs her head up and down, feeling Bucky's finger wrap themselves in her hair, messing it up. He decides to take her hair down, taking the tie out and place it on his wrist. She takes him out her warm mouth, moving her lips down the vein of his cock, and licking a stripe back up and taking him back into her mouth. This feels amazing to Bucky.

He had the most pornographic moans known to mankind and she was glad she was the cause of it. "Do you like that?" She whispers onto his cock, taking more of him into her mouth. She let him go deep into her throat, so deep her nose was brushing against the short pubic hairs at the base. "Ugh," he grunted as he heaved her onto the bed, using his hand to get her out her leggings. Her socks came off with them, her hands wandering over his body, praising it like she was staring at a god come to earth and was about to have sex with her. She wore pink lace panties with a small bow at the top.

It seemed innocent enough except the lacy material was see-through from her juices leaking out.

"You're all ready for me, aren't you?" He teases her by rubbing her through her underwear, using his finger to rub her clit and opening. "Right, baby girl?" He presses harder on her nub when she doesn't answer, eliciting a moan from the Amazonian.

"I. Am. Not. A. Babygirl." She growls. "I. Am. A. Goddess."

"Whatever you say," he slides her soaked panties to the side, the cool air hitting Diana's womanhood. Her juices leaked onto the bed and Bucky wanted nothing more than to fuck her senseless, but he realized he wanted to make love. He reached down and rubbed small circles on her clit, kissing Diana hard as she moaned into his mouth. He swallowed all her moans, their tongues fighting for dominance, Bucky pressing a finger into her opening, letting it glide in.

She gasps, pulling away from the kiss and arching her back off the bed. Bucky attached his lips to her nipple, using his finger to pleasure her. "Oh my gods," she whimpers as the pleasure overtook her. She felt like her body was in flames, licking at every square inch of skin.

She looked at the scene, biting her lip hard enough to draw some blood before letting it go. His eyes were looking at her; her beauty and perfection. He was excited, excited that he was the one giving her this much pleasure, to make her moan and writhe under him. Her legs were pressed close to her body, forming a v like shape.

"Oh gods, Bucky!" She screams as the pleasure took her into its depths, her cum coating his finger and knuckles.

Bucky wasted no time in thrusting himself into her, Diana screaming in pain and pleasure as her oversensitive womanhood was stretched to its limit, her unused to the size of Bucky's cock. "You're so tight, fuck," he screwed his eyes shut, pushing himself until his testicles rested against her ass. Sense leaked into her, her eyes forcing themselves open as she growled; she flipped them over so she was on top - she took control just as she has been taught. She moved up so his tip was only inside her, then forced herself down forcefully - so hard that it broke the feet of the bed. It should have broken Bucky's hips, but with the serum, it made him more durable and he was going to use it correctly.

Diana kept bouncing on him, rocking the bed against the wall, hands gripping the headboard tightly as it slammed against the wood. Diana gave Bucky pleasure he has never felt before, using his hand to give her hips, their eyes looking at each other. Brown eyes met blue; blue eyes met brown. Two different colors, one dominant and the other recessive, interlocking together in a fit of passion and love. Diana decides to slow her pace down, reaching down to kiss Bucky as her hands wandered over his body.

She loved him and he loved her - it was a perfect solution for something much bigger and unexpected.

Bucky's hand caresses her cheek softly. Diana's hope kept grinding down on his slowly, breaths mixing together in the other's mouths. "I love you," Bucky places his damp forehead against Diana's. His sweet breath ran across Diana's full lips, a sweet smell of mint and chocolate.

"And I love you," she whispers. She feels her stomach tightening again, and when she closes her eyes and moans, Bucky takes this moment to flip them over and grind his hips against hers. His pubic hair rested against her nub, causing to get her more pleasure than ever. They kept looking at each other, soft moans filling the air, as they looked into each other's eyes. Diana could see Bucky's pupils had grown, covering most of the baby blue. She had read a while ago that a person's pupils will grow while looking at something (or someone) they love. She wondered if her eyes looked the same.

"I'm close," she murmurs.

"Me too," Bucky kisses her sweaty forehead, "come with me." She nods, taking a few deep breaths before her orgasm rocked through her body, her mouth opening in a silent scream, shallow gasps escaping her lips, back arching off the bed, breast pressing against Bucky's glistening chest.

Bucky soon follows her into the deep abyss, filling her with his seed. "Oh God," he softly grunts as she feels him twitch inside of her as each spurt came out. His eyes were screwed shut in pleasure, nose scrunched, but overall, he looked relaxed. His lips were parted as he laid down next to a weary Diana, pulling her closer to him. All he wanted was to lay here with her, his love, forever, after a long love making session. He presses his face against her neck, the smell of vanilla and coconuts mingling with a hint of salt and euphoria. There, in each other's warm embrace, they sleep together, one good, one misunderstood, both honorable, and both were in deep and unconditional love.


	11. ACT TWO

❨ act two.   
love game. ❩

❛ Home is not where you are from,   
it is where you belong,   
some travel the world in order to find it,   
others find it in a person. ❜

❛ she's badass with a good heart,   
soft, but strong,  
unapologetic and honest.   
She's the type of woman  
you go to war beside,   
the type of woman you marry. ❜

**TABLE OF CONTENTS ;**

08\. STORYTELLER  
09\. GONE  
10\. BUCKY (HAPPY TENTH CHAPTER ANNIVERSARY)  
11\. "SO YOU'RE FAST."  
12\. "YOU CAME BACK."  
13\. COMFORTING STEVE  
14\. EPILOGUE


	12. 08. STORYTELLER

❝ He met a girl with vacant eyes and she said, 'take my pain away'. ❞

▁▁

**BUCKY WOKE UP FIRST, THE EVENTS OF** last night replaying in his head. He glanced to his right and saw a sleeping Diana, facing him, the weight of her arm on his chest. He thought she looked angelic with a few tendrils of hair in her face, lips parted, and any sign of stress washed away from her features. He wrapped his arm around her and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. Diana's lips curled up in a smile, her eyes opening to look at the super-soldier. Her hand went to the stump that used to be his metal arm and caressed it with her thumb.

"Hey," he said, his breath fanning over Diana's nose.

She covered her lower face, "you need to brush your teeth." Bucky just laughed, rolling over to place his feet on the cold wood floor and walk to the bathroom. He was in the middle of brushing his teeth when Diana walked in. "You might wanna...put some clothes on, there," she said nonchalantly as she waved at jis naked form. He didn't care, he shrugged and went back to brushing. Diana was wearing a pair of black short shorts and a Hogwarts t-shirt, over which she had put on a white lace and silk robe. She had a smile on her face, large enough that he could see her molars peeking through. He stared at her in amazement, that with all the men she could have, like Steve and Thor, she chose him. The broken, but strong. The lost, but found. The guilty, but innocent. There was many emotions running through him, but one kept rooted in its spot:  _love._

He felt love whenever he was with her, and even though they did meet a couple of months ago, it felt as if they knew each other for a lifetime.

"The bridge in Washinton, D.C., about a year and a half ago," she blurts out.

"What?" Bucky was wondering wwhat she was talking about; what about a bridge in the nation's capital? What did it have to do with what he was thinking about? "That's why it feels like you've known me for a long time," she explains, "on your dark days as the Winter Soldier, I fought against you on the bridge. I was there for the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D, there to stop HYDRA from killing millions of innocent people. I was there, Bucky."

As Diana said this he felt all the memories of his time in HYDRA rushing back, fighting her on the bridge, the way she was faster and stronger than him; how her punches hurt - he felt where he hit him; how she moved, she moved with the swiftness and grace of water, but, like water, it was as dangerous as to break rocks in half and cause massive buildings to topple down like they were just dominoes being pushed down with your finger.

"I remember now," he nods, pursing his lips.

He stared at the ground with a sorrowful expression, heart filled with guilt with the killings of innocent people by his own hand. "Oh, Bucky," Diana opens her arms to hug him, but then stops, rethinking her actions.

"You might wanna put some clothes on, you're not getting back on my bed naked," she pats his cheek twice.

Bucky chuckles and walks out the bathroom with Diana, walking to his still-packed suitcase, and choosing a pair of boxers and white t-shirt to put on. Diana was on her bed, reading a book about a type of dog, by the looks of the photo cover, it was a Doberman. "Why the book about the dog?" He laid down next to her, her arm wrapping around his shoulders securitively, keeping him close to her.

"I've been thinking about getting a dog for the longest time but never got to getting one."

"Why the Doberman out of all the other dog breeds you could have?" He asked, cuddling deeper into her side. She was warm and soft to the touch, but the softness was most likely due to her robe. "One of oldest friends had one and he was so calm and full of love," her face held a happy expression as she stared into space, "but one time, when a burglar went to steal her things, Chewy --"

"Chewy?" Bucky questioned.

"The dog's name - had strong enough jaws to send the man to the hospital with his whole body covered in bites. Some were infected others were not, but he still died from his wounds. The dog was hailed like a hero when the toen heard about it. Apparently the guy robbed every person in town," she continues. "So I want one of my own, so when I'm not there, the dog could take care of my home."

"You don't have a home," Bucky replies, "I mean, at least not here. The HQ probably and wherever you were staying  _in Paris_ , but not other than that."

"True, but I'd like to own my own home someday," she shrugs, looking at Bucky over her shoulder. She folds down the ear of the book and places it on the nightstand, laying down facing Bucky with a smile. "So would you like to hear a story from where I come from?"

"Tell me one when you were little," he brushes a hair away from her face; he wanted to look at all her angelic features, to admire them as she talked about her childhood, to see how they changed with each scene. "Okay," she nods, sighing as she sifted through all her memories. She had a photographic memory, so she knew every detail even if it was a century ago. She could remember every sound, every taste, every color and scene she's seen, everything.

"Oh gods," she sighs. "Well, growing up on the small island of Themyscira was always amazing from the clear blue sunny skies of the day to the clear navy starry skies of the night - we didn't have power, just candles and torches, so at night you could look up at the sky and see millions of stars floating across the sky, galaxies of every beautiful color you could think of staring back at you.

"The beaches were beautiful, the white sand that never stuck to your feet to the bright sunny sky blue color of the ocean transitioning to the navy blue of the night sky, the large cliffs where the archers jumped off of during training in case of a invasion, no palm trees were there, it was just..." she searched for the right word. "Amazing?" Bucky asks with a smile on his face.

"Yes,"she chuckles, "amazing. There were towering statues and stone building overlooking the ocean, a sort of tribute to the sea god Poseidon, my mother, Hippolyta, always told me. When I was little I used to run away from lessons and go to the training fields to see every warrior fight against themselves to prepare for any inconing war. I used to pretend I was one of them, waving my arms wildly to pretend I was hitting imaginary opponents. "

Bucky smiled at how her face lit up with the telling of the story, it seemed as if she was reliving them. "Finally, Irri, my tutor found me, but I was quick to run off again. I ran through the streets of the marketplace. May Amazons bowed and waved in respect of title and also in love, I was beloved and protected for on the island because I was the only child. Some said hello to me and I would wave back. I ran up the steps between two buildings - I remember an armadillo scurrying from a building to the other on those steps that day - and when I saw it was a dead end at the top, I did the next best thing: I ran to the nearest balcony there and I jumped from it.

"I meant to land safely on my two feet at the ground below me, but I overshot it and went over the next balcony. Luckily my mother was there to catch me by my wrist."

"Diana!" Bucky smacked Diana hard on her arm, giving her a chastising look.

"What?" She giggled. "You could've died, you were only a kid!" Diana loved how he got protective when she told him that little detail, and was still giggling at his reaction. "Yes," she giggles, "I was just kid, I had a very free spirit. And anyways, let me get back to my story." She gives Bucky a serious but playful look, furrowing her eyebrows to give off the disapproving effect but failing and going back to laughing. "Tell the story!" Bucky yells, shaking a laughing Diana with his arm. "Okay, okay," she raised her hands in defeat. "Anyways, she told me as she put me on the horse that we should get me back to lessons before another tutor quits -"

" _Another?"_ Bucky raises his eyebrows.

"Do you want me to finish the story or not?" She pulls a serious expression at him, quickly shutting him up. "As we rode through the bare street, I kept trying to convince her to let me train and become a warrior but she was too resentful. She kept riding on and we passed my aunt, Antiope, who began to ride alongside us. 'I could begin showing her some things,' she said to mom. 'She should at least be able to defend herself -"

"And here you are saving the world of bad guys," Bucky interrupts, a proud and amusing smile on his face.

"Yes, now I am," she nods, "'From whom?' Mother asked her. 'In the event of an invasion,' Antiope answered nonchalantly. 'Isn't that why I have the greatest warrior in our history leading an entire army?' My mother retorted. I sometimes used to hate her for not letting me fight and protect our island, because, in case she has forgotten, I'm an Amazonian, too, I should be out there fighting..." Diana plays with the ends of Bucky's hair absentmindedly, running her fingers through it as she stared off into space with a blank stare. "Antiope answered again with certainty, 'I pray there will never come a time where she has to fight, but you know, a scorpion must sting, a while must hunt.' My mother was still against it even though I saw a look on her face that told us she knew Antiope was right. She just replied that I was a child, the only child on the island, and she must let me be so.

"That night I tried to convince her," she continues, pressing a kiss to Bucky's forehead, "she still told me no. I tried to tell her that I can fight without a sword. She just told me that fighting does not make me a hero. 'Just a shield then,' I tried so hard to convince her, 'no sharp edges.' She just gave me a patronizing look and called out to me. She wasn't wearing her tiara and her hair was in its usual curls. She was wearing her long dress, standing with courage, grace and power at the edge of my bed. I wanted to be just like her. Brace and strong, kind to those around her. She tried to get me to sleep by telling me a story. 'Diana,' she started, 'you are the most precious thing to me. I wished for you so much I sculpted you from clay myself, and begged Zeus to give you life.' I was bored and told her, 'you've told me this story.'"

"You seemed like a very impatient and stubborn child," Bucky says. Diana laughs, a beautiful sound to his ears. "I was," she shoulders and chest rumble with each peal of laughter escaping her lips. "Mother grabbed this folder and opened it; inside it showed a picture of a small group of men and women on top of this mountain and anouther, wearing a heavy metal suit with two pairs of horns, was standing away from them. He had his hand outstretched to the men on the ground below.

"It seemed as if the men were tearing each other apart. A group of women - they were all naked -were climbing out of the water gracefully. 'Which is why tonight, I'll tell you a new one. The story of our people and my days of battle,' I was excited to hear about this because Mother always told me stories about how I was born and about Hercules and Perceus. I was jealous of them from the day I was born; they were allowed to become heroes and I couldn't. So, she had started: 'So you can understand why war is something you should never hope for. Long ago, when time was new, and all of history was still a dream, the gods ruled the earth - Zeus, king among them. Zeus created beings in which the gods would rule.'"

Bucky perked up at the story about the gods; he had been fascinated in them since he was a kid, and now he was in love with a woman that was raised on an island that believed in the gods and their history. "'Beings born in his image - fair and good, strong and passionate. He called this creation 'Man', and Mankind was good. But Zeus' son grew envious of Mankind and sought to corrupt his father's creation. This was Ares -"

"The God of War," Steve's voice interrupts Diana, scaring the two cuddling on the bed. He stood in her doorway with a smile and his arms crossed over his muscled chest, right leg crossing over the other. "You started without me." He crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed, crossing his legs and leaning forward on his elbows. He looked like a kid waiting for story time, like his grandfather promised him that he would tell him of his times at war.

Diana chuckles and sits up, a smile on her face at the sight of the two super soldiers. She rarely talked and she was happy that some people would finally listen to her story. "Yes, the God of War. Ares poisoned men's hearts with jealousy and suspicion. He turned them against one another and war ravaged the Earth -"

"Is it story time?" Natasha asks. Diana sighs and looks at the doorway to see her, Thor, Bruce, Tony, Sam, Wanda, Clint and Peter all crowded in her room. Luckily she had picked up her and Bucky's clothes of the floor. "So do you want to hear the story or not?" Bucky asks them as he raises an eyebrow, pulling himself into a sitting position with the help of Diana and Steve.

"Sure," Clint takes a seat on her bed, all of them soon following her.

"Oh Hera," Diana sighs, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, "Did you hear the first part of the story because I'm not restarting."

"Yes, FRIDAY linked us all to your room," Tony nods, "oh and Capsicle, I came here to say I'm sorry. We should have talked it out before we fought and I'm sorry, Bucky, because I've realized you were under the control of HYDRA."

"Can I get on with the story?" Diana says, annoyed. "Yes," Peter nods. "Okay. So the Gods created the Amazons to influence men's hearts with love and restore peace to the world. And for a brief time, there was peace. But it did not last." All of the Avengers and Peter and Bucky hung onto every word - Diana had never told them a story of her childhood. "My mother, the Amazon Queen, led a revolt that freed them from enslavement. When Zeus led the Gods to our defense, Ares killed them one by one, until only Zeus himself remained. Zeus used the last of his power to stop Ares; striking such a blow, the God of War was forced to retreat.

"But Zeus knew that one day Ares might return to finish his mission. An endless war where Mankind would finally destroy themselves and us Amazons with them. So Zeus left us a weapon. One strong enough to kill a god. With his dying breath, Zeus created Themyscira to hide us from the outside world, someplace Ares could not find us.

"And all has been quiet ever since. We give thanks to the Gods for giving us that paradise. I used to call the sword that I wield GodKiller, the sword that is strong enough to kill a God, but my mother didn't want me to find out that it was the sword - it was me. I'm the GodKiller. The weapon Zeus left on Themyscira. Mother tried so hard to stop all dreams of my becoming a warrior so it wouldn't get to me. But it was too late. Late at night my aunt, the general of the Amazon Army, taught me to fight, late at night in a darkly lit cave."

"What's your aunt's and mother's names?" Peter asks Diana. Diana becomes flustered, remembering the heroic death of her aunt.

"My aunt's name is Antiope and my mother's name is Hippolyta," she answers. "I think that they have beautiful names unlike mine, a regular old name. But that's not really important. For years Antiope trained me away from the watchful eyes of Hippolyta, but as the years passed, we became more relaxed, not really caring about being caught. Until someone told Mother what we were doing. We were in a field, sword training - Antiope kept beating me - when we heard the thunderous foot falls of the horses. Hippolyta called out to me, asking me if I was hurt. 'No, Mother I'm fine, I was just-' 'Training. Seems like I'm not the revered queen I should be. Disobeyed, betrayed by my own sister,' she said as she stared down at Antiope. I didn't want Antiope to take all the blame so I tried to explain to Hippolyta that it was all me, I asked her to."

"-but she didn't want to hear it, right?" Tony crosses his arms over his chest.

"Right, she didn't want to believe it was my fault, that I was a perfect child. So she told one of the guards - her name was Liayae and she was incredibly nice - to take me to the palace.

"Antiope circled around Hippolyta, 'you left me no choice, Hippolyta. You neglect your duty if she cannot fight.' Hippolyta told her that she speaks of a time that may never come, he may never return, that he could have died from his wounds. Antiope just hissed at her, 'Ares is alive. You feel it as I do in your bones.' Liayae and I were hidden amongst the trees, eavesdropping on the conversation."

Diana shed a tear, quickly wiping it away.  _'It's never the right time to cry.'_ Bucky and the others still saw it, they understood that a death was coming up on the story. "'The stronger she gets, the sooner he'll find her,' she looked heartbroken, and I understood what she meant: I was going to get stronger over the years and as I do, Ares will create a war deadly enough to wipe half the planet. Antiope told her that by me training and fighting, it was the only way to truly protect me; that I should be the one fighting for myself as the same as the others on the island.

" Hippolyta finally made the decision, she was going to let me train. 'You will train her harder than any Amazon before her. Five times harder. Ten times harder. Until she's better than even you. But she must never know about what she is, or how she came to be.' Antiope took this to heart, training me from dawn until way past dusk, every day, and every day I became sore and tired. I only got two hours of sleep each night and barely had time to recover from the past day's fight session."

The others were looking at Diana fascinated; she had endured so much but still wanted to protect the world. "Why do you want to save the world even though you have seen things we haven't seen, lost people you've loved and care about. Why?" Sam shakes his head.

"I used to want to save the world, this beautiful place. But I knew so little then. It is a land of beauty and wonder, worth cherishing in every way. But the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness simmering within. And mankind? Mankind is another story altogether," the Amazon princess answers. "What one does when faced with the truth is more difficult than you think -" Diana eyes Tony at this statement, giving him a reassuring smile. He is embarrassed, staring at his hands folded on his lap. "I learned this the hard way a long long time ago. And now, I'll never be the same."

Bucky was the first to speak up. "What happened a long time ago?"

The others nodded, wanting to hear the full story, some leaning in to hear and the others arching their eyebrows in impatience.

"I was finally 24, the year was 1918. It was the First World War, some called it the War to end all Wars and others called it the War with no End."

Diana shook her head at this. A disapproving sigh escaped her lips - she looked exhausted. "They were wrong, though. It wasn't the war to end all wars, it was never the war without end; it was not the even beginning of the end of wars. Here we are in 2016 and all of us are still fighting. I remember the days I left Themyscira clearly. I was training at the training grounds at the heart of the island.

"I was winning - or so I thought - when it was time to fight my aunt. She had more time to train so I knew she was going to beat me. Well, almost 2 millennia to be exact -"

"What's a millennia?" Thor interrupts the Amazon warrior.

Everybody sighs, Peter sucking his teeth to make a clicking sound. Bucky answers him. "A millennia is a period of a thousand years, so two millennia is two thousand years." Thor nods his long shaggy blonde head, finally understanding what she was talking about. "So the Amazons are two  _thousand_  years old?"

"Yes, like I said in the beginning of the story, the Amazons were created to influence men's hearts with love and restore peace to the world when time was new and history was still a dream," came the reply as the princess moved to grab a Hershey's bar from her nightstand - she kept a stash during the case of a period and cravings emergency - and offered any to the others. 'Thank you's' were heard all across the room as each took a piece, devouring it in less than a second - they haven't had candy in a long time.

"That was the day I found my true power," she continues, "I was on the ground after she pushed me down and was starting to back up from her swinging a sword. I kept blocking them and she kept swinging. She also gave me good advice that day. She told me that I expect a battle to be fair, that a battle will never be fair.

"I interlocked my arms and there it went -- a blast that blew her almost ten feet away from me and it went all around the island. Some that were close to me were knocked down, others just stood as they were far away from me. She was bleeding and it was all my fault. I told her I was sorry but she just looked me with a look of fear. Do you know how it feels like when you own family member looks at you like that? I was heartbroken. I just went and ran away from the field and into a clear patch overlooking the ocean. I was trying to calm myself down enough to go back, but that was broken by a terrible sound; it was a sound I never heard before that day and wish to never hear it again.

"I then saw it. It was a small fighter plane, crashing into the oceans of Themyscira. I also saw that there was an invisible force-field ringing around the island, but that's not the point. It crashed and I didn't think about it, I just jumped. I swam towards the wreckage and saw the tail of the plane. It was broken from the rest. I went under and saw a man staring back at me before he passed out. He had the most clear blue eyes you could ever imagine..."

When Diana starts describing him, an expression only identifiable as love came over her face. She still loved him. This made Bucky's blood boil but he didn't show it. He just looked at the picture on Diana's nightstand and realized that the picture of her old love was watching him --Diana's new love -- and Diana make love. At this thought Bucky smiled. "He had dirty blonde hair that was short on the sides and a little longer on top; the hair of a soldier back in the day. His name was Captain Steve Trevor, pilot, American Expeditionary Forces, serial number 8141921,assigned to British Intelligence."

When Diana saw how pissed off Bucky looked while she was stating all these things about her first love, she stopped herself. "Alright, that's enough for today. I can possibly write you a book about it." She cleared her parched throat and motioned them to go out of her room. They all gave her genuine smiles as they filed out, Diana giving them each a smile back. She was having conflicting emotions -- they could all see that -- but they didn't mention it. She was sad and nervous, with all these different emotions, they didn't want to pressure her more.

She turned to Bucky to comfort him when she saw it; all of his anger was washed up on his face and he was looking at her with a death glare. This was not going to end well. 


	13. 09. GONE

**[** An empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description. **]**

**Which is just what you guys are!!**

  
  
  
**HE STARED AT DIANA WITH A DEATH GLARE,** slightly scaring the Amazon. He never looked at her like this, even when he was under the control of HYDRA, which was he looked at her like he was calculating her every move, silent, face clear of any emotions. Now, he looked at her like she was his next meal and it scared her almost. "What's wrong Bucky?" She took a small step towards him, extending her hand.

"Nothing," he growled, turning to look at the photo on her nightstand once again.

"Don't 'nothing' me," she replied, "I know something's up by that look on your face. C'mon, tell me." He didn't reply. Diana worried that he would do something irrational, like hurt his hand by punching a wall or something. But what he did was unexpected and malicious towards Diana. He took her photo, looking at it with a sneer, and threw it on the ground. The frame cracked open like an egg from the force, tears stinging in Diana's brown eyes. Bucky decided it was not enough.

He took the paper, places it between his thighs - Diana named them the God of Thighs - and tore it into little pieces.

"Bucky!" She gasped and ran to him, grabbing him by the arm strongly. He swung his body, swinging his arm and Diana in the process, throwing Diana across the room and into the wall. Since she was tall and strong, her body went straight through the wall and into the living room. Steve shot up, grabbing his shield that sat against his chair. Diana waved him off. "No, it's a fight between him and I, please don't get involved. You just got him back."

Steve looked at her skeptically, but nodded nonetheless, sitting back down with alertness. "Call me if you need help."

Diana nodded and calmly walked back inside the room through the broken wall. Though Bucky did lose his metal arm, he still was strong from the experiments HYDRA did on him. Diana had no intentions to fight; she just wanted to grab some clothes and the torn photo and leave for Paris. She took a deep breath and looked at Bucky in the eyes, her own glazed over, his a mixture of sadness, guilt, and anger. He didn't care at that moment if she left, he wanted her to leave. "Bye," he seethed, walking out of the room. Diana set her jaw, grabbing her still-packed bags and the pieces of old paper - it was the original copy - and glared at Bucky as she stalked out of the room and out of the HQ. She didn't hate Bucky, no, she still liked him but less than she did before. He showed her a different side that wasn't caused by the Winter Soldier, this was the real him, the one who didn't have any factual explanation to put into words over what he did. What he did was unforgivable, and if Diana did forgive, she sure as hell wouldn't forget.

Most women would use the information of the last time their man did something wrong to prove their point, but Diana didn't work that way. She never brought it up. She would raise an eyebrow and look at them seriously.

Her phone rang in her pocket - she grabbed it on her way out - and saw Steve's name pop up on the small screen. She hit decline and put it back in her pocket, turning the sound off and walking to her car, a dark grey Lotus Evora, and drove away from the HQ. Hey, even goddesses need cars now and then!

She bit back her tears. She was strong and she wouldn't cry for a man she has only slept with once. Looking at the photo pieces, she thought about her closest friend, Bruce Wayne. A billionaire that lived in a glass house in a beautiful part of a forest in Mount Airy Forest in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had the flash drive with a copy of the photo, he could possibly send her an attachment so she can print a new one.

She drove from the streets of rural Albany to JFK Airport by the urban New York, New York. She wasn't going to go to Wayne's house, she made up her mind to go back to Paris. She wanted to go back to work and live in the small apartment she had rented by the small café with the nice old lady and two walls stacked high with fragile books that were possibly even older than Diana. She loved going there, from its fresh brewed coffee and old paper fragrance to the couches with comfortable fluffy pillows and its welcoming color scheme; a beautiful burgundy, gold and a dark black. She could stay in there for hours if she could, but there was a thing called work and sleep, ruining Diana's dream state and forcing her to go home and into her queen-sized bed.

Driving into the parking lot of JFK, she called one of her most trusted friends, Clark Kent, and asked him if he could pick up her car. He, being the kind man he is, said yes and told her to wait for a few minutes. He walked to the airport since he lived ten minutes away from the loud and busy building.

"Hello, Diana," he gave her a kind smile and pulled her into a warm embrace.

She returned the smile, wrapping her arms tightly around Clark's waist, breathing in his distinctive orange and firewood scent. No matter how far he was from a farm, he still managed to smell like he came out of an Old Spice commercial. "Hi," she uttered.

"I'm guessing you're going back to Paris for work?"

She nods, "yeah, I am. We have nothing to do at the moment, so I'm just going to leave for a while... up until another mission comes up, of course." Clark chuckles into Diana's neck, his hot breath moving upwards as he pulls away from the hug. "That's a thing you guys seem to avoid: violence."

Her smile falters a little, but Diana quickly puts up a happy front. "Yeah, it's part of the job. How come you won't join us? I think we need another superhuman around to help." "No, thank you," he shook his head,"I'm happy just where I am at the moment." Diana's heart drops a little, but she just lets out a little laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

An awkward silence passes between them, the two friends looking at their shoes. "So, you gonna go or not?"

"Yeah," Diana nods, "see you later."

She tugs on her suitcases, the obnoxious sound of plastic rolling on asphalt filling Diana's ears and sending vibrations through her arms. She walks into the bright white, large main terminal of the airport, sighing as she walked up to a ticket booth and ordering one that was about to leave in an hour. She was lucky; not many people were going to Paris, only about two-thirds of the plane was filled up.

She walked to gate 32B, sitting down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She starts counting down the minutes until the flight leaves, tapping her finger lightly on her thigh, having a beat that went along with the seconds.

Soon, after a long time of waiting, Diana hears the all-too familiar sound of Bucky's voice calling out to her. "Diana! Diana!" But at the same time as he saw her, her back was turned to him, ignoring his calls and pleads, and walks straight into the passenger loading bridge. He runs to catch up to her but security stops him; recognizing him as the Winter Soldier.

Diana sits in her designated seat, staring out the window and watching the commotion happening inside, her heart aching for Bucky and his freedom from security, but all the while never moves. She doesn't want to seem weak; he earned this, this is what he deserved, to watch her walk out - well, fly out - of his life.

And though her heart ached, she had a small triumphant smile on her face as the plane departed from the landing strip.


	14. 10. BUCKY

**[** the girl who seemed unbreakable, broke. the girl who seemed so strong, crumpled. the girl who always laughed it off, cried. and the girl who never stopped trying, gave up.  **]**

**The translations will be at the bottom of the chapter.**

**This will mostly be about Bucky.**

**THOUGH** Bucky didn't want to admit it to Steve, he was glad he got to spend some time in police custody after getting into that whole fiasco at the airport. He even thought that he needed to serve more time, but Steve thought two weeks was fine for the ex-assassin.

When Bucky was told he could call one person, he immediately called his best friend and told him to 'pick him up when he thought he learned his lesson'. What he didn't expect was for Steve to wait two weeks; he thought Steve being Steve was going to pick him up as soon as he called. He stayed in that jail cell during the day and only came out when it was meal time. The other inmates were too scared to even come near him, all except one. A young boy of 20 who had been wrongly accused of theft. A boy named Barry Allen. He would tag along with Bucky and treat him like a normal person, he treated Bucky with respect.

"Why?" Bucky asked him once while they were eating the slush they called 'healthy breakfast food.'

"Why what?" Barry played with the grey thing, the slimy texture grossing him out. "Why do you even talk to me? I'm a murderer, an assassin," Bucky rested his chin on his fist, tapping his foot on the floor as he stared at the officer guarding the exit to the basketball court. "Well, a murderer and assassin, yes, you are that, but you are also a patriot, a veteran, you need the respect that you deserve for protecting the country ― hell, the world! ― during World War II," came Barry's reply, who straightened up immediately.

"But I killed people. Innocent people without a second thought."

When that escape Bucky's mouth, a sharp slap was delivered from Barry, jerking Bucky's head to the side and Barry pointed a finger at Bucky. "You were under the control of HYDRA, remember that, no matter what you did, it wasn't you ― well, it was, but that doesn't matter ― it wasn't the real you. It was them! It was HYDRA, and you know it. You are a victim. Let me spell it out for you: V-I-C-T-I-M.  _Victim_ ," Barry dragged out the 'm', exaggerating his point.

Bucky rubbed his sore cheek and sighed. Barry was caring and fun to be around, but he was stubborn at times. But, overall, Bucky was glad that he got a person to call a friend. When he was along in Bucharest everyone ignored him, the only people that spoke to him were the vendors that sold him plums. "When will you stop putting yourself down?" the younger male asked.

"When I get back with the girl of my dreams."

Barry smiled; he could possibly arrange their return to each other. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Diana," Bucky breathed, his mind going to the memories of 'that night'. "She was the one who stopped World War I. Apparently, according to her, the first world war was caused by an envious god. His name was Ares."

"How did she know it was him?" Barry wondered, letting his mind drift off the picture a beautiful woman, but realized he was picturing how his dream girl would look like. A tall busty blonde. With an ass. And perfect teeth. "I don't know. She never got to that part."

"You got into a fight or something?"

"Yeah, we did."

"I'm sorry, Ja―'

"―Bucky. Everyone calls me Bucky. Well, minus Tony Stark. He calls me 'The Wiener Soldier.'"

Barry couldn't help but laugh at this. "So if he calls you the Wiener Soldier, does that mean you like to eat sausages or that he has seen your penis?" Bucky glared at the younger male, but he couldn't stay mad at him. He liked to be around him, a guy who seems like he doesn't have friends and is really nice. "None of those, I actually hat―"

"Mr. Barnes, Mr. Steve Rogers is here," a guard stood behind the veteran, his thumbs hooked around his belt loops and leaning his weight on his right leg. "Dude," Barry chuckles, "are trying to look like a cool police officer like in those movies?" The officer didn't smile, though. He instead pulls Bucky up roughly by his arm, Bucky getting defensive. "Hey! Hey! Dickhead! That's my only arm, I need it." "Whatever," the officer ― whose name was Richard, which anyone to anyone who doesn't know, the nickname for any Richard is Dick ― grumbled, pulling Bucky harshly through the crowded tables and out of the mess hall, loud shouts of 'let me go, I can walk myself,' escaped Bucky's lips, every prisoners' heads turning to their direction.

Some laughed quietly - a well-known assassin getting pulled out like a ragdoll by some guard that was 2 heads shorter than him.

"I'm free to go?" Bucky asked the guard, his black eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Yes," Richard sighs, "Mr. Rogers has paid your bail."

Bucky nods slowly, still confused, but wondering why Steve didn't let him rot in there. But what about Barry? He was the only other friend that he had besides Sam and Steve. The other Avengers were just the co-workers of a good friend, the people that you asked to go out with after your friends are all too busy so you turn to them for entertainment.

"C'mon, Bucky," Steve beckons the one-armed man over, gesturing with his head to the door.

Bucky reluctantly lumbers over to Steve, making plans on bailing Barry out, wondering where he could get the money. Bucky had noticed - but never acknowledged it to anyone - that Barry was awfully energetic, always wanting to walk around or jog, and when he talked, he talked faster than anybody, but Bucky could still decipher what he was saying. It seemed as if Barry was faster than anybody around, but wanted to keep it a secret. Bucky shook his head at the thought; Barry could easily have ADHD, it could explain why he was animated all the time. "Buck, something's worrying you. What's wrong?"

Bucky sighed. "There's a kid in there that was wrongly accused of burglary ―"

"How do you know he was wrongly accused?"

"Steve, the kid's only nineteen, and he seemed too good to be a thief. He helped me in there. He talked to me when no one else would. He seems  _too happy_  to be a thief. He doesn't look like a troublemaker. At least, not like _I_ was when  _we_  were little."

Steve snickers, "remember when you tried to dance for a piece of cake?" "Steve, I was only ten," Bucky opens the door to the small Bugee that was used during the 'undercover mission' before what they liked to call 'the Civil War'.

"Yeah, you were only ten though you tried to do a striptease for that poor woman."

They shook their heads, trying to contain their laughter in, but the wall broke and their laughs filled the small, cramped area. "How old was she?" "I think she was 67. She looked mortified at your dance."

"Whatever," Bucky guffawed, "I was gyrating my hips perfectly. I could be a bellydancer for all I know."

"A deadly assassin bellydancer. I'd pay to see that," Steve pulls out of the parking spot with caution, "I'd pay to see that."

**NOW**

**BUCKY** was currently in Paris - at the Louvre Museum where Diana worked to be exact - watching her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to look at a painting that depicted a small girl with beautiful blonde curls and a white dress holding a book, staring out to the people of the museum.  _"Storybook. Painting by: William Adolphe Bouguereau. Reproduced by: Thomas Baker."_

He liked the painting, it was pleasing to his eyes, and it didn't have too many things to focus on. It was simple. A blonde girl in front of a dark blue-green background in a white dress holding a book. Easy.

Diana was walking around with a few of her superiors, showcasing each statue and painting. She wore a beautiful burgundy dress with black boots, her hair thrown up into a ponytail. She smiled and laughed at each joke they threw, trying to be polite to them, but Bucky noticed one thing: her eyes didn't seem to be as bright as they were before. Her eyes were dull and red-rimmed as if she had been crying all night long. And Bucky also noticed something else: she wasn't wearing any make-up. She had a small tint of natural blush to her cheeks, dark circles around her eyes and  _freckles_. Brown freckles that made her look more child-like. And Bucky thought that it made her beautiful.

But he also realized something else: every time she smiled it never went to her eyes. As if smiling hurt her. Her inviting and alluring voice carried off the walls of the large building, enticing more people to her group, the French words rolling off her tongue easily and flawlessly.

_"C'est la statue Hera, également connue sous le nom de 'Hera Campana'. Fabriqué au 2ème c. AD, est une copie en marbre romaine de l'original hellénistique,"_ she points to a large marble piece portraying a woman in a Greek toga holding a dowel and tablet, seeming as if she was giving a speech. It also looked like the Statue of Liberty, just without the flames of the torch and the spiky crown. Instead, it had a flat crown with a piece of 'cloth' attached to it.

Just as Diana turned to talk about the  _Storybook_  painting, she locked eyes with Bucky. Looking away awkwardly, she went back to directing her group, telling all of them a joke that they thought was funny, guffawing loudly. As Diana walked closer to Bucky, he strode away, weaving through the crowd of visitors and into the bright Paris sunlight. He wanted to do something good; wanted to get his mind off her for as long as possible. And he knew just what to do.

 

**THREE DAYS LATER**

**BUCKY** walked into the police station he was in, nodding a silent 'hello' to Dickhead, placing $1,000 on the counter, all in cash. Dickhead furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How did you get this?" "I have rich relations," he shrugged. Thank Tony Stark for being a billionaire, but an asshole -  _"Call me a 'Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist' and I'll give you the money."_ "Who are you bailing?"

"Barry Allen."

"The ADHD annoying burglar?" Dick asked. "He's not annoying," Bucky fumed, trying to protect the small child - well, teenager. He reminded Bucky of a younger self like he was before all this HYDRA shit happened. If anyone, anything, tried to hurt Barry, he would kill them. He didn't want the happy-go-lucky Barry to become depressed, to become like him.

"Alright," Dick sighed, shrugging.

Dick saunters out of the room, grabbing his keys from the hook on the wall, and leaves Bucly to his own device, hugging his arm around himself. Bucky watched the news reporter talk about the traffic - an accident happened on the highway - and hears the door open again with Dick holding Barry tightly by the arm. Barry didn't seem to care, instead, his face brightened at the sight of Bucky.

"Bucky!" He giggled like a little kid on Christmas. "You left me all alone in there, everyone seemed happier without you around."

Bucky couldn't help but smile and laugh; this kid's energy was contagious. "Can we get ice cream? I really would like some ice cream. I haven't had ice cream in weeks and I'm starving." Bucky wrapped his arm around Barry, pulling him closer, "After we go eat something. You look like a matchstick."

If Bucky had Diana, Steve, Wanda and Sam - and possibly a dog - he would have a perfect and mismatched family of weirdos. Three people that become strong from test tubes, one African-American retired Army "pilot", a woman who was birthed from clay, and one hyperactive kid that loved to laugh and live life.

All outcasts in life, yet together they were perfect, and that's all Bucky ever wanted. A family.

 

**WHO'S HAPPY ABOUT DADDY!BUCKY? I AM! I WAS HAPPY TO WRITE THIS! I WROTE THIS DURING MY ENGLISH CLASS, SO THAT COUNTS RIGHT? ANYWAYS, HERE'S THE TRANSLATION:**

  
_C'est la statue Hera, également connue sous le nom de 'Hera Campana'. Fabriqué au 2ème c. AD, est une copie en marbre romaine de l'original hellénistique. ―_ **This is the Hera statue, also known as the 'Hera Campana'. Made during the 2nd c. AD, is a Roman marble copy from the Hellenistic original**


	15. 11. "SO YOU'RE FAST"

**[** Life doesn't give us purpose. We give life purpose.  **]**

**Another Bucky and Barry chapter!**

  
  
  
**WHEN**  Diana told Bucky that they had met during the fight at Washington, D.C, she had lied to him. They actually met during World War II.

**THEN**

_**PEGGY**  had said, "I might even, when all this is over, go dancing." Bucky had asked shortly after with a "Then what are we waiting for?" He meant for her to dance with him, but Peggy had turned him down nicely. "The right partner." She was staring at Steve's baby blues with so much love and passion, giving Bucky a hint that she wanted Steve only. "I'm invisible," Bucky shook his head as Peggy strides away, "I-I'm turning into you. It's like a horrible dream."_

_"She might have a friend." Bucky had said this many times to Steve and was he glad that he was able to turn it against him._

_"I do, actually," Peggy's Victorian voice carries over to them. "Boys, this is Diana Prince."_

_Bucky had stared in amazement at the tall woman, who had worn heels so she was the same height as him, her dress a long and blue thing, looking like an old Greek dress that you might find at a museum, but she made it seem like it was brand new. Of course, this was the same dress that she wore back in World War I, but they didn't need to know that. "Hello," the Amazonian said. She had an exotic accent, one that was sultry and inviting, one that made Bucky's pants a size too small. He had just met her and now he was getting hard. Impossible. He pulled his jacket down and secured it by its buttons, trying to hide the prominent bulge. Diana had noticed it though, and inside she was laughing so hard that tears streaked their way down her sun-kissed face. She remained quiet though as Steve talked to her as if they were longtime friends._

_"I'm Bucky," he held out his hand._

_"Diana," she took it firmly between her warm ones, heating his immensely cold hand._   
  
  


**NOW**

**BUCKY** watched the field, seeing Barry trying to feed a deer sunflower seeds. "Deer, here!" He was growing agitated as the animal refused to eat them, "What if I sing a song? Will that make you happy and eat 'em? Maybe not because my singing is terrible. Eat. Them." The deer ran away, running into the line of trees and bushes. Bucky was silently laughing at the little 'show' that was happening, Barry's wide eyes at his last statement still imprinted in his mind, fueling his laughter. Ever since Bucky bailed Barry out of jail it seemed as his life was happier, even without Diana in it. Bucky realized he didn't need one person in his life; he needed a family. And he considered Barry a son or a brother, brightening his life.

Then as he opened his eyes to view the act once more, he saw a streak of blue lighting where Barry once stood, his figure now gone. This sent Bucky into overdrive. "Barry! Barry!"

He swung over the balcony's bars, landing heavily on his feet and taking off, rushing off to where he saw the streak, yelling Barry's name repeatedly. "Barry!" A reply broke the still air, "I'm here, don't worry! The deer ran off so I chased it!" Bucky ran over to where Barry's voice came from, stumbling upon Barry holding handfuls of sunflower seeds as many deer ate them out of his palms. Barry was laughing - a sound that should have easily scared the deer - but instead they hung around, eating the barbeque flavored snack.

Bucky was staring in astonishment; how did he run so fast?

"Barry."

"Hm?" Was his short reply. Bucky took this as a hint to start talking. "How did you run so fast?"

"Whaddya mean?" Barry's already fast-beating heart sped up some more, turning casually to hide his red face, acting as he was to feed more deer. "When you ran, I saw a blue streak of li―"

"No, Mr. Tim you already had enough!"

"― ght, and I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but you seem to be hiding something. What is it that you're hiding?" Bucky rose an eyebrow, walking closer to the teenager. "Barry?" He stepped on a twig, scaring some deer away, him muttering a quick, "sorry deer", and chuckling to himself at the statement he thought he would never say. "What, that I am hiding over two pounds of sunflower seeds in a variety of flavors in this jacket? Wow, it sure did take you a long time to figure it out," Barry chuckled nervously.

"Barry, are you a fast person?"

Tony appears next to Bucky, asking, "What's happening?" Bucky raises a finger, telling him to be quiet.

Barry shook his head too quickly, little flashes of blue wrapping around his dark locks. He turned to look at Bucky, "No." Bucky raised an eyebrow chastisingly. Bucky withdrew a small dagger from the inside of his jeans, wrapping his fingers around the handle, and carefully throwing it at Barry. Time seemed to slow down for the speedster, staring intently at the metal object. As it flew past, Barry moved out of the way. Bucky saw the lightning again, and with his skilled eyes saw the Barry moving in slow motion. Tony just saw a flash pass by Barry and it was over as soon as it started. When Bucky had the experiments done on him, it gave him a faster speed than normal humans, usually being able to run as fast as a 60 MPH  _(96 KPH)_ car.

Barry then caught the knife, twisting back around to look at Bucky.

"So you're fast," Bucky says.

"That seems like an oversimplification," Barry twists his tongue and bites it, raising a finger, peeking at the Avengers HQ from the corner of his eye. Ton starts, "We have a team, the Avengers, may you would like to ―"

"Stop right there, I'm in," Barry holds up the hand with the dagger, smiling widely. Bucky and Tony turn to look at each other, raising their eyebrows in a silent conversation. Tony just shrugs, swiveling to Barry. "Just like that?" He snaps his fingers to demonstrate. Barry nods slowly, "Yeah." He bends his knees a little, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He seemed embarrassed. "I... need friends."

"So you're another Pietro," Tony says.

"Who's Pietro?" Barry cocks his head to the side. "I didn't see that coming," Tony sighs, rolling his eyes. "Nevermind that, I'll... get your suit started." He waves him off, strolling away.

"Hey, how do you get in the team before  _I_ do?" Bucky points to his chest.

"Because he actually has something to help us. Sorry, Snow White," Tony calls out. "You can just stand there and look kinda pretty." "What about you?" Bucky yells to the billionaire. "I actually am handsome enough to go on the cover of Playboy!" "Yeah, back in 1940. And it was the gay version." A loud laugh pierced the air, followed closely by the slapping of a knee and some coughs. Tony seemed to have the time of his life.

"Whatever."


	16. 12. "YOU CAME BACK."

**[** True love has a habit of coming back. **]**

**BUCKY**  had fallen into the line of cigarettes and alcohol, all to relieve stress and the thought of losing Diana. He drank most of Tony's whiskeys and scotch, pissing off the old man by his 'waste of great alcohol'. He even threatened to have another Civil War if Bucky drank any more of his booze. He just shrugged and pickpocketed the billionaire, taking about a good handful of cash out of his wallet. He hid the money in his jacket pocket and walked out of the HQ, going into the large garage and grabbing the keys to his Audi.

He had finally gotten a car when Tony still sort of felt bad for the whole Civil War thing, so he bought Bucky an Audi Q5. Bucky felt grateful to the 'Man of Iron' for giving him the car. He thumbed the money in his pocket as he continued to the Audi, his steel-blue eyes darting from left to right. He felt as if someone was watching him. He felt the stare burn into him, making him more alert and conscious; ready for a fight. As he opened the door to the grey vehicle, he heard a throat clear behind him. He turned around, hooking his arm to punch whoever it was in the nose, but as his fist got near, a powerful hand stopped it. He looked up to meet the eyes of Diana, who was giving a small, shy smile.

"You didn't need to do that," she dropped his arm.

"And you didn't need to do the cliche clearing the throat thing to catch my attention," he sassed, "you could've just said 'hey' and it would've gotten my attention." Diana chortled, a tiny snort passing her lips. She covered her mouth to cover the sounds, "Yeah, but it still got your attention." Bucky rolled his eyes, turning back to his car. They both were trying to be professional and mature, but right then all they wanted to do was kiss and hold each other tightly.

Bucky turned his head towards Diana. She raised her eyebrows, confused, but he just said, "Wanna go on a ride?"

She smiled, it reaching her eyes, turning them somewhat watery and they sparkled. "I'd love to." She made her way to the other side, running a finger over the bumper. It had a bumper sticker that said, ' _If lost, please return to Steve Rogers (518) - 156 - 2015 or Diana Prince (518) - 651 - 7826_ '. On it, there were two shields, Steve's infamous red, white and blue one and Diana's gold and dark silver one. Some may say Diana's shield was more complex than Steve's. And it was true. Diana's had the symbol of Apollo, the sun on it in an Ancient Greek way. It was surrounded by a silver ring and then the sun's rays continued. She had another one, one that had a Golden Eagle imprinted into the silver. The Golden Eagle was another symbol of Zeus, the King of the Gods.

Zeus, the most powerful person in the universe.

Apollo, the god that boasted and tried to get into female's skirts.

Diana, the GodKiller. The person with enough power and strength to kill a god. The woman that killed Ares.

Bucky, the man that was manipulated. The man that won Diana's heart a long time ago.

Bucky was Apollo, Diana was Zeus. They never realized it, but it seemed as if the gods were coming back to life. Zeus has possibly put his soul into Diana during her 'birth', and Bucky was destined to carry Apollo's soul.

Steve was Athena, the intelligent virgin goddess. The one who had the long blonde hair and grey eyes.

Natasha was a badass version of Hestia, the virgin goddess of the hearth. And she  _will_  burn you if you hurt her and her family.

Wanda was Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. She was cunning and quick-witted when it came to anything about the woods and animals.

Barry was Hermes, the swift messenger god. With the little wings on his helmet and shoes, he was faster than any human and god ever.

The other Avengers couldn't be arranged with a god, however, others could. Clark Kent was Hercules, with his large muscles, strength, and the good nature to think about everybody else before himself, there is no argument there.

Arthur Curry was Poseidon, the god of the seas. With his trident, he could breathe underwater and cause massive earthquakes. He has annihilated many with his sea storms. Some Greeks do still pray to Poseidon for a safe passage over the large powerful water expense.

Bruce and Tony were just billionaires with two kinds of suits: a three-piece and their tight-fitting crime-fighting one. Yes, Diana has noticed that Tony Stark's helmet seems a bit  _too_  tight to be going around Tony's head and still have enough room for him to move. "Why'd you come back?" Bucky broke Diana's stupor. "Huh?" She trained her eyes on him, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Why did you come back?" He repeated slower this time. She shrugged, shaking her head, "I have no idea. I just thought that I needed to come back."

Bucky hummed, training his eyes on the road. "There must be a reason."

"Bucky, I told you, I have no clue," Diana hit the center console with her fist. He raised his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay." He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. He wanted to say sorry to her - no,  _needed_  to apologize. He felt the overwhelming guilt crush his chest every time he glanced at her. "Bucky," Diana places a hand on his clenched arm. Bucky liked the way she could comfort him just by touching him - "Bucky, are you alright?"

"I - I'm sorry, Diana."

"For what?"

"For ripping your photograph," a tear was shed, "I'm really, truly, unbelievably sorry. I was blinded by rage. I'm sorry."

Diana did something Bucky did not expect - she laughed. Her laughter grew harder by the second, laughing so hard that her eyes watered and her stomach hurt from the clenching of its muscles. Bucky looked at her like she was out of her mind. "What?"

"Bucky, that was a copy," she laughed. Bucky was furious, she left him all because he had ripped a copy. "Then why did you leave if you knew that it was a copy?" Diana's laughter did not cease. Bucky didn't know when it'll stop, or if it'll stop anytime soon.

"I forgot that I had a copy," she admitted, "and I needed to work. Plus, I was saddened by the fact that you let your rage take over your mind. You didn't think twice about stopping."

Bucky hit his head on the wheel. "Sometimes you have a slightly twisted mind." Diana let out a short laugh, shaking her head and stared out her window. She watched the trees pass outside, the cars speeding by, the bird taking a shit on another's windshield. She smiled. This was home. Well, her third home. First came Themyscira and the second was Bucky. She had found a home in Bucky to replace the one she would possibly never go back to. "Where are you going?" She wondered. Bucky shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Possibly gonna get some beer and cigarettes. Who knows? And anyway, when are you going to go back to Paris?"

"My plane leaves in two months."

"Two months?" Bucky smacked the wheel. "You're going to lose two months worth of work?"

"I thought you didn't like it when I left for work," Diana rose an eyebrow. Bucky was one complicated man.

"Yeah, I don't but work is important, Diana. You get paid to do what you love!" 

 

"Who said it was something I love?" 

"Me!" Bucky watched her long and hard, trying to figure out the warrior's motives. "Well, you don't know my feelings then," she crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't really know who I am."

"I know who you are on the outside completely," Bucky said in a hushed tone, rolling his eyes. He didn't mean for Diana to hear, but he forgot that Diana had sensitive hearing and could hear him from two miles away. She smacked his chest hard, hard enough to cause a little pain but not enough to leave a bruise. "Bucky!"

He laughs a sweet, carefree sound. This is what they both wanted. A life without troubles and lots of laughter; possibly even having their own family.

 


	17. 13. COMFORTING STEVE

❝ she lives in the poetry she cannot write. ❞

**One of the quotes that Diana says about her strength, it is a quote said** **_by_ ** **her in the comics when someone asked her how strong is he, so I do put some comic references in there!**

**DIANA** had slept in her room alone, the cold sheets pressed against her face, her body huddled close in itself. Tony had modified each bed that year. If it was winter, you could raise the heat to make your body warm and toasty. If it was summer, you could raise the A/C. Simple. Her head had started aching due to the fact that she had gone to the gym for a few hours and didn't drink water afterward. Horrible mistake. Her head pounded with each heartbeat, every movement making her dizzy and her eyes sensitive to light. She groaned as she turned on the light beside her bed, but gasped dramatically when she saw a pair of brown eyes staring at her, a huge smile on the face of the man's. "Wanda wanted me to wake you up," he shrugged, "I'm Barry, by the way."

He held out his hand nicely, and when Diana took it to shake it, he instead pulled her off the bed. "Also, Wanda made breakfast."

He started strutting away. He reached the door before Diana could open her mouth. "Wait!" SHe cried. He turned back to her, the smile never wiping off his face. "I'm Di-"

"Diana. I know, Bucky told me a lot about you... or as much as he could remember."

Diana smiled. Her eyes twinkled and her a carefree laugh bubbled out of her. "I'm not going to say the cliché 'I hope only the good things' line if that's what you're waiting for." Barry laughed along with her. "Don't worry, he talks about you like you are the first and only thing he sees. He really loves you, you know." Barry walks out, leaving a smiling Diana in his wake.

"But I don't want to take things fast because look where that went," she muttered to herself, swinging her long legs off the comfortable bed. She just wanted to stay in bed all night long, but according to Steve, today they had to train. Especially Bucky to get used to fighting with one arm.

"Hera be with me."   
  
  


▬▬▬▬ 

**DIANA** fought against Steve, their shields clashing together as they swung and turned, their fists connecting with the other's skin enough to inflict a little pain, their eyes trained on each other. "When are you going to surrender Steve?" Diana asked as she threw him across the room, his body landing with a muted  _'thump'._  "Possibly never," he retorts. He lunges at her, Diana sidestepping to get a clear view of his side in order to land a punch on it.

"You have to realize that I have really fast reflexes Steve. Hell, I could watch Barry go by without a problem."

Steve shakes his head as the older woman continues to casually taunt. "You don't really talk this much during a mission." Diana smiles, "That's different, I actually know you."

"And anyway, you may not realize it, but your punches hurt. Badly. How strong _are_ you?"

Diana shrugged. "I don't know. I still haven't found a force in which to test myself with."

"You need an off switch."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

"You do." Steve goes to jab Diana's side, but she easily grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

A loud clap comes from the other side of the gym, a male's voice soon following. "Yeah! How does it feel like to be a little bit regular? Huh? She better say, 'On your left', because she  _is_  on your left!" Steve bows his head. "Sam..."

"On your left."

Steve looks up to see a smirking Diana. He was shocked, to be honest. "Did you just turn my own saying against me?" Diana nods, laughing. "Yep. How does it feel?" Steve looked defeated. He was tired, he wanted to sleep all day long, but he had to take charge around here. "Honestly, I don't like it. But, I just have to get used to it."

Sam's dark hand comes down on Steve's shoulder. "Buddy, there is no getting used to it."

"Steve, you alright?" Diana furrows her eyebrows together. She noticed the dark bags under his eyes, the way that he lagged during their fight. "Do you need some sleep?" Steve nodded, "Yeah, I could go for an 8 to 13-hour nap right now." Diana helped him up, using his bicep to pick the super-soldier to his feet. "Why don't you go to bed? I'll take charge around here for a while." Steve shook his head. "I don't think sleep is an option."

Diana cocks her head. "Why?"

"I have to create a file on Barry. So Fury can know who he is."

"I can do it for you."

"They want me to do it," Steve looks at his feet, "I still have no idea why."

"Well, it's because you're the captain. Our boss, per say."

"I sometimes wish I wasn't."

"What do you mean, Steve?" Diana placed a comforting hand on her long-time friend. She wanted to know why he was being moppy today, and she knew it wasn't from the lack of sleep. Sam had thought the same thing as he wrapped an arm around the blonde.

"I think my time was a long time ago. The time of World War 2 and the start of Captain America. That was my time. This one isn't," he shrugged, pouting his lip a little bit.

"Steve, don't say none of that shit. You saved many lives ―"

"Yet many were lost because of me."

"― and many have a debt to pay to you. If you didn't take down the Red Skull in World War 2, imagine this world being run by Nazis, imagine all this," she motions to the beautiful greenery outside, the city outline in their view from the large window, "would be gone. It will all be ash and rubble. But guess what? It isn't. It's thriving. There's deer that walk on our lawn, trees to produce our oxygen,  _human life_  to make this world a better place. And guess what? It's all because of you."

Steve gave Diana an appreciative smile, "No. You started to make the world a better place. If you hadn't killed Ares, there might still be a world war going on. My mother told me stories about you when I was a little kid. She told me how you killed Ares in order to stop the first world war. I wanted to be like you. I really did."

"You're even better."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean I'm better? You're a GodKiller, Diana."

Diana sighed. "I abandoned my duty for a long time. And you? You had no other choice. You were stuck in ice, and I wasn't. I roamed the Earth trying to find normalcy. To be like any regular human. I tried to be like Jane Foster. A scientist. An artist. Even a daycare worker ―"

"You and these kids, I swear, Diana." Sam shook his head mockingly.

Diana smiled. "But it didn't work out. When you got out of the ice, you immediately went back to protecting people. You're selfless. It's in your nature. You think about others before you think about yourself. You saved many people's lives, and that's a hard debt to pay."


	18. 14. EPILOGUE

❝ when you remind me what I cannot be, I smile and remind you, that I am both war and woman, and you cannot stop me. ❞

**There is something on here from Jimmy Fallon's newest interview with her, so watch out for that!**

**DIANA** had come out of training, a thin sheet of sweat stuck to her skin, her breathing heavy. Bucky's kicks hurt. He had kicked her in her chest, his heavy boot forcing some air out of Diana's lungs. He apologized profusely, trying to help Diana in getting some air by putting a fan near her nose, letting the air consume her.

"It's alright," she sputtered, "you just need to put a little less force in your kick when your training with us."

She now sat on the couch, her long leg stretched out on the fabric, regulating her breathing, eyes closed as she calmed her heartbeat. "Hey," Bucky said as he sat down on the arm of the couch. She peeked through a cracked eye, smiling at Bucky's figure. "You might not want to sit on that. Tony will flip."

"He doesn't have his metal suit on."

"And you don't have your metal arm, so it's tied."

Bucky nodded, "yeah, I guess it kinda is."

"Oh, yeah, you got the super-soldier serum and he doesn't." Diana smiled at him, leaving butterflies inside Bucky's stomach. He wanted to take it slow with her and hoped that she would understand why. "Hey," he says, getting Diana's attention, "wanna play a game?"

"What game?" She turns to him, elbow perched on the back of the couch.

"20 questions."

"Why?"

"I wanna get to know you. The real you."

"Okay, shoot."

"Fine, what was your first candy you've ever eaten?"

Diana thought long and hard, recounting all her memories to the time she first had sweets. She shook her head. "I remember that it was an Israeli chocolate that has the popping candy inside it - what's it called?" She starts doing a little hand motion were she wiggles her fingers in front of her lips, looking out into space as she tried to think of the name.

The name immediately pops into Bucky's mind. "Pop Rocks?"

"Yeah! Pop Rocks! Thank you!"

Bucky was amazed at this candy that she had told him about. Chocolate? With Pop Rocks? It was two of his favorite things together! He has eaten Pop Rocks while living in Bucharest, having a shelf dedicated to the stuff. It was invented in 1956 (a fact that he read on the back) and it was close to the 40's so it would be a slight throwback to the times before  _Hydra._

Another thought had popped into his head. Had she tried Reese's? It was amazing, and he would be shocked if she never tried it.

"Have you ever tried a Reese's peanut butter cup?"

Diana raised an eyebrow. "A cup made of peanut butter that has a name of Reese's? What is that?"

Bucky was appalled. How did she not know what it was? "It's a small little chocolate candy with peanut butter stuffed in it. The brand's name is Reese's," he explained, showing a small little circle with his thumbs and forefingers. "Really? Peanut butter and chocolate? Put together? How does that taste?"

Bucky sat up straighter, his face brightening. "It's amazing, the peanut butter and chocolate has the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Whoever decided to put the two things together is a God of Wisdom!"

"Isn't Athena the Goddess of Wisdom, not a person that put two things together?"

"It's a figure of speech, Diana."

"Oh."

Bucky chuckled and smiled at the demigoddess, pulling her into a side hug. Her cheeks were tinged pink, a sheepish smile tugging on her lips. "Wanna try one?" "One what?" Diana asks. "A Reese's cup." She nods, smiling, "okay."

Bucky released her and walked quickly into his room, looking through a drawer full of candy for the legendary orange and brown packaging. There was only one left, standing out through the other brown and black packages of sugary treats. It had two Reese's in it, so he and Diana could share easily. He hurried back out, seeing Diana waiting patiently for him as she watched the news. The title on there was  _'The Avengers: Saviors or wanna-be's?'_ There was a photo of them, all standing weary after the Battle of Sokovia. Thor and Diana were sitting together, talking animatedly with their hands. They seemed to be talking about something they both shared. One was that they were gods, and the other was that both were born of lightning.

"Here it is." Diana turned to see Bucky sitting next to her, holding an obnoxious looking rectangle.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah," he thrust the thing out to her, "want to open it?"

She took it from him, her deft fingers pulling open the tabs on the back. "Do you like peanut butter?"

"Yeah," she nods, "I've just never tried it with chocolate. Oh, there's two!"

Bucky watches the tv, seeing Diana in a fighting stance in front of a Chitauri in the Battle of New York. It was a slightly blurry picture due to the explosions shaking the earth and possibly even fear. He feels a tap on his shoulder, the sweet scent of chocolate filling his nose as he turned his head, one of the cups in his face. Diana was doing a little dance in her seat, moving her body rhythmically from side-to-side. "I feel like Willy Wonka, I'm so excited right now," Bucky took the candy.

Diana giggled. "Where is he?"

Bucky watched her intently at her, waiting for her reaction. She was slowly peeling off the wrapper around it. She saw Bucky in the corner of her eye. "Oh, now I'm nervous."

"Cheers," Bucky held up his to clink it against hers, and she repeated the same word to him. They took a bite, Bucky seeing Diana's eyes close as an expression of pleasure as the amazing taste spread across her tongue. She loved the exact sweet and salty ratio.

"How is it?"

She held up two thumbs-up in response, peeking an eye open to see Bucky's triumphant expression. "She loves it! She loves it!" He threw up his arm.

After she ate the last bit of the patty, she looked to him for more questions. "That was already two."

"How was it two?"

"You asked me if I liked Reese's, and I said I never tried it, that's two."

"Okay. What's your favorite color?"

"Red. You?"

"Red and black."

"Favorite movie?"

"E.T."

"The movie about the little wrinkly alien and the boy in the flying bike?" Diana raised an eyebrow. Bucky furrowed his, "yeah. It's so innocent, I love it."

"So it's innocent, okay, got it. Mine is Titanic."

"Really, the movie about the boat that sank and one lovebird lost the other lovebird? Please." Bucky retorts. "Bucky, it's my favorite movie all because of the fact that Titanic  _is_ real and E.T. isn't." Bucky scoffs. She got him there. "Favorite show?"

"Game of Thrones," they chorus.

↴ ↴ ↴

**AFTER** their game, Diana and Bucky were tired. The game had turned from '20 questions' to 'talk until you feel your cheeks fall from your face'. They had fallen asleep on the couch, heads leaned against each other, soft snores escaping them.

This is all they needed. Each other, even though they wanted to take it slow - as they agreed - and how TO try to figure out as much as they could about the other individual.

Two people who were different, but the same. One misunderstood, the other good, both honorable and both in love.


End file.
